New Holiday in Japan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090911/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_centenarians


Japan made a national holiday to honor the elderly on September 21, said in an annual report by the Health and Welfare ministry. Japans centenarians has doubled in the past 6 years, more than 40,000 lives have spanned more than a century, the Government said Friday. For 50 years they have been accelerating rapidly, 10 years ago it was 10,000 and in 2007 it was 30,000 and it has grown 10,000 in the past two years. Also for every centenarian will receive a letter from the Prime Minister and a silver cup. Because Japans is over burdened with public pension and medical care system, and high living standards. Rules must be made, they are trying to extend retirement from 60 to 65. The question is that everyone seems to be overlooking is why do people, who live different cultures live completely different lives. Japan has the longest expectations of life 86 for women and 79 for men.

My first reaction to this article was that it was very unique to create a holiday for the elder. I don’t see a problem with doing that, If anything it should have been done years ago.

I believe I reacted this way because common courtesy is a rare identity to find in certain societies. I believe it’s a nice jesture to try and make up for our losses. It’s amazing that “Japans centenarians had doubled in the past 6 years, more than 40,000 lives have spanned more than a century.” Which that sentence alone brought me into the story which I have heard about but did not read up on till now. Doubling centenarians in the past 6 years seems remarkable.

This article opened my thoughts on not just wondering how, but to “find out” how they continue to increase their population.