日本高齡化比率 創新高

Number of elderly in Japan hits record high
By MARI YAMAGUCHI – 12 hours ago

TOKYO (AP) — The number of elderly in Japan hit a record high of more than 27 million in 2007, the government reported Tuesday, warning of an imminent pension crisis as the country rapidly ages.

The annual report by the Cabinet Office showed Japanese aged 65 or over making up 21.5 percent of the population last year, while the so-called "late-stage elderly" — those 75 or older — accounted for nearly 10 percent.

"We have become a full-fledged aged society," the report declared.
"The pace of aging has reached the highest level (among advanced countries) at the beginning of the 21st century, and is expected to enter a phase that no other country in the world has yet experienced," the study added.

Japan's population peaked at just under 128 million in 2005 and began falling as fertility rates have dropped, while long life spans have boosted the elderly population. The government reported earlier this month that the number of children was at its lowest since 1908.
The report on Tuesday painted a dire picture of Japan in the 2050s: one-quarter of the total population of less than 90 million will be 75 or older, and 40 percent will be 65 or older. That compares with 16.2 percent projected for the world by the Untied Nations for those aged 65 or older in 2050.
On the upside, lives will continue to get longer, the study said. By 2050, Japanese women will live an average of about 90 years, while men will live nearly 84 years. That would be up from the present 86 years for women and 79 years for men.
The demographic shift from a declining birthrate and high life expectancies is expected to strain government services and lead to labor shortages, and those worries figured prominently in Tuesday's report.

In 2005, it took pension premiums from 3.3 working people to cover the pension payout of one retiree, but by 2050, Japan will have only 1.3 workers to support a single elderly person, greatly burdening pension systems.

In order to ease the expanding woes, the government has stepped up programs such as those that promote elderly hiring.

The government is gradually extending the retirement age to 65 from 60, and is now urging companies a further extension to 70. Tokyo also introduced a new health insurance system in April to deal with bulging medical costs for people 75 or older.

More than 60 percent of Japanese senior citizens think they are healthy, but nearly the same percentage of them go to hospitals almost daily, the report said. The number of bedridden people has also surged, many of them cared for at home by elderly relatives.


【中央社╱東京二十日專電】
2008.05.21 03:56 am

日本政府今天在內閣會議上議定2008年版的「高齡社會白皮書」內容指出，日本65歲以上的人共有兩千七百四十六萬人，佔總人口比例為百分之21.5，人數和比例（高齡化率）都創下新高紀錄。

新版的「高齡社會白皮書」顯示，截至去年十月一日，日本65歲以上，為兩千七百四十六萬人，其中男性為一千一百七十萬人，女性為一千五百七十六萬人。

日本的高齡人口中，65歲至74歲（前期高齡）約有一千四百七十六萬人。其中，男性為六百九十四萬人，女性為七百八十二萬人。
75歲以上的高齡者（後期高齡）約一千兩百七十萬人。男性為四百七十七萬人，女性為七百九十四萬人。

白皮書預測，到了2017年，日本的後期高齡人口將超過前期高齡人數。
日本從四月起實施的後期高齡者醫療制度（又稱為長壽醫療制度），是以75歲做為年齡的前後期的分界，導致許多人反彈，但是白皮書指出，需要接受照護的高齡者當中，前期高齡者所佔比例是百分之3.3，後期高齡者所佔比例是百分之21.4。

日本到了2055年，高齡化率將高達百分之40.5，2005年時，工作世代平均每3.3人養一名高齡者，但是到了2055年時，工作世代平均每1.3人就要養一名高齡者。

此外，白皮書中也指出，預估日本民眾的平均壽命會延長，65歲以後的人生將會延伸。65歲至69歲，未就業的人當中，有四成以上的男性、兩成以上的女性希望就業。