Japanese Centurions Reported Missing

[ashfire]

The Japanese government is having a problem locating known Japanese citizens who are 100 or more years old. They say there are many of them missing. Government people have gone to addresses where these people are reported to live and they are not there and no one in the area knows where they have gone.
I guess if they lived with families they have also disappeared.

[Angel37]

I heard this was happening! How sad/tragic!

[Sammy Boy]

By the way, I think the term you meant is 'centenarian'. Centurions are a type of Roman soldiers.

[Rusty Claymore]

By the way, I think the term you meant is 'centenarian'. Centurions are a type of Roman soldiers.

I hadn't thought Romans had invaded Japan, but I'm not a history buff so I wasn't going to comment. XD

On topic, there was a recent story in World mag about one of Japan's oldest actually having been dead for 30+ years, but his family had kept reporting him alive. Maybe that's what's happening?

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I was very confused by the title too.
Yes, that's very sad. Japan doesn't have a good record when it comes to looking after old people. It used too but not so much now. I hope they're okay.

[ashfire]

I kept looking for the correct spelling in the dictionary I have but that was all it offered.
I wonder how often Japan does a census? At least the post office have change of address info or the local govenment have death certificates or hospital or nursing homes records.
Japan does have a homeless problem so maybe some of them have ended up on the street.
Its hard to believe if such a situation like that has happened but Japan has had money problems like the US.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

The Japanese (from what I've witnessed) generally put the homeless out of sight and out of mind more than even us Western countries. Sad really. The homeless life is one of great dishonour to the Japanese people, so the cycle of poverty is incredibly hard to break from. Thankfully there are Japanese Christian groups who feed, talk and share God's Word with the homeless people (mostly men).

[Yuki-Anne]

Laura (Princess Zelda) and I went on a cruise down the river in Tokyo, and when the guide pointed out the bridge under which a lot of Tokyo's homeless lived, quite a few people laughed. It felt weird.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

That's not good. Hopefully it was nervous laughter and not a 'sucks to be you, can't believe you live on the street' sort of laugh.

[Momo-P]

Japan does have a homeless problem so maybe some of them have ended up on the street.

Actually it's more likely that these "missing" old people aren't missing after all. They're just dead.

Back in July, Japan decided to pay tribute to it's second oldest living resident and present him with a gift. When they arrived at his house however, they were turned away under the excuse "father doesn't want to see anyone". Come to find out, "father" had died thirty years ago.

After discovering this lie (and the fact 100,000 dollars in pensions had been paid out to him), the government obviously got curious about it's other old residents...only to discover similar excuses popping up when they went to meet them. One event even had a family saying they hadn't seen their 113-year-old relative in 25 years!

So while the image of a 100+ old guy on the streets isn't very comforting, it's more than likely all these people died a long time ago. Their families just don't want to report it or else they have to give up the free money coming in.

[Nekomimi]

That's so sad. Which reminds me, I should spend more time w/ my auntie who's pushing 88, as well as other (relatively younger) relatives...

[ashfire]

Actually it's more likely that these "missing" old people aren't missing after all. They're just dead.

Back in July, Japan decided to pay tribute to it's second oldest living resident and present him with a gift. When they arrived at his house however, they were turned away under the excuse "father doesn't want to see anyone". Come to find out, "father" had died thirty years ago.

After discovering this lie (and the fact 100,000 dollars in pensions had been paid out to him), the government obviously got curious about it's other old residents...only to discover similar excuses popping up when they went to meet them. One event even had a family saying they hadn't seen their 113-year-old relative in 25 years!

So while the image of a 100+ old guy on the streets isn't very comforting, it's more than likely all these people died a long time ago. Their families just don't want to report it or else they have to give up the free money coming in.

It makes you think how devious people can be when a family member or someone they are caring for dies and doesn't tell anyone so that they can continue to get retirment or government moneies.
A story here in our area a woman was a caretaker for three young sisters. The woman mistreated and abused the girls until two of them died and she hide the bodies in the freezer. They moved to another area with the freezer and the third sister escaped from the house and police got involved and a big investigation started, Many angencies have come under investigation over not checking on the woman and the girls. The woman is in prison along with her boyfriend.

[ashfire]

Well a NHK news story has that the Police found out a son of one of the missing people has been hiding the body of his parent for years.

[ScalpelFactory]

I'm not going to lie, when I read this, I thought of Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society. Gotta watch out for those old people, they get sneaky on you if you don't keep track of the Nursing Net...