Summary
Japan faces a growing crisis as elderly women increasingly commit minor crimes to secure imprisonment, where they find stability, companionship, meals, and healthcare.
Between 2003 and 2022, the number of female prisoners aged 65+ quadrupled. Many, like 81-year-old Akiyo, cite poverty, loneliness, and abandonment as reasons for resorting to crime.
Over 80% of elderly female inmates are jailed for theft.
Japan’s government is introducing programs to support elderly reintegration and reduce repeat offenses, but gaps in caregiving, housing, and healthcare make prison a refuge for many.
There is a very strong cultural expectation of younger generations providing care for their related elderly. I suspect the stories of why they end up abandoned and desperate are more complex than reported.
A lot of it can as simple as kids not wanting to live in the small towns that their parents live in to far worse.
Japan has been undergoing deruralization for decades.