People 75 or older now majority of elderly in Japan
Jiji -- Mar 21
People aged 75 or older, called "late-stage seniors" in Japan, now constitute a majority of those aged 65 or older in the country for the first time, according to demographic estimates released by the internal affairs ministry on Tuesday.

The number of people at 75 or older totaled 17.70 million as of March 1, accounting for 50.1 pct of 35.34 million in total for those at 65 or older, the estimates showed.

Compared with the estimates as of Feb. 1, the late-stage senior group increased by 60,000, while the overall elderly group expanded by 40,000.

Japan's entire population was estimated at 126.52 million as of March 1, with 27.0 pct of them aged 65 or older and 14.0 pct at 75 or older.

Medical spending tends to increase as population aging progresses. According to a fiscal 2015 health ministry report, the average medical costs totaled 469,000 yen for people aged 65 to 69 and 793,000 yen for those at 75-79, compared with 76,000 yen for 20- to 24-year-olds.

News source: Jiji