Crimes committed by Japan 's elderly have increased sharply, with arrests of 65-year-olds and above up from 5.8% of total arrests in daily to 20% 10 years later . Prisons are beginning to resemble nursing homes as older criminals' care needs begin to dominate staff's daily routines. Japan 's elderly are increasingly feeling alienated, with some understood to see prison as an upgrade on their 2005 lives. Most Japanese firms still rely on a lifetime employment structure so once older people leave, they find it hard to reclaim their place and can end up in badly paid, low skilled jobs. With 5.8% of the population to be above 65 by 2035 , the issue is unlikely to go away.
Crimes committed by Japan's elderly have increased sharply, with arrests of 65-year-olds and above up from 5.8% of total arrests in 2005 to 20% 10 years later. Prisons are beginning to resemble nursing homes as older criminals' care needs begin to dominate staff's daily routines. Japan's elderly are increasingly feeling alienated, with some understood to see prison as an upgrade on their daily lives. Most Japanese firms still rely on a lifetime employment structure so once older people leave, they find it hard to reclaim their place and can end up in badly paid, low skilled jobs. With 33% of the population to be above 65 by 2035, the issue is unlikely to go away.