Elderly people in Japan are choosing prison to avoid loneliness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This report is indicative of how 'comfortable' Japanese prisons must be compared to american ones.
Imagine committing petty crime to keep going back to prison in the US, just to avoid loniless

This is actually also a common phenomenon in the US

Actually, Americans go back for housing and health care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
A combination of their children not caring and other factors, some elderly people in Japan are committing crimes so they can go to prison to find companionship. I am familiar with Japan as we go there for 8 weeks once per year. I think this report just scratched the surface of the loneliness issue in Japan. I wonder how long before this becomes an issue here. Some of you will argue because of the supremacy of American culture and interpersonal superiority this will never be an issue in America or you. Personally, i think rampant loneliness and disconnected will have a more dire effect in this society, if not already. Community is not a priority here, at least that’s the position of a East European acquaintance




https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/18/asia/japan-elderly-largest-womens-prison-intl-hnk-dst/index.html?Date=20250121&Profile=cnn&utm_content=1737449283&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram

Community isn’t a priority in East Europe either, judging by history.

[Anonymous]

Who assumes we are superior to Japan?

At least old people there do not have to worry about their grandchildren being gunned down! (We have 26x their murder rate😳)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This report is indicative of how 'comfortable' Japanese prisons must be compared to american ones.
Imagine committing petty crime to keep going back to prison in the US, just to avoid loniless

This is actually also a common phenomenon in the US

Actually, Americans go back for housing and health care.

That is what I was thinking.
Free housing and health care.

[Anonymous]

O. Henry’s “The Cop and the Anthem” is about this.

[Anonymous]

I don't get it - why would you not join a church, see a neighbor, volunteer somewhere, etc. etc. ?

I think a lot of elderly in the US are lonely without realizing it. They don't take those actions because they don't recognize their loneliness. But if you recognize it enough to decide you'd rather be in prison, and then take steps to make that happen ... there's no reason you couldn't use that energy to join a book club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it - why would you not join a church, see a neighbor, volunteer somewhere, etc. etc. ?

I think a lot of elderly in the US are lonely without realizing it. They don't take those actions because they don't recognize their loneliness. But if you recognize it enough to decide you'd rather be in prison, and then take steps to make that happen ... there's no reason you couldn't use that energy to join a book club.

+1

Volunteer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it - why would you not join a church, see a neighbor, volunteer somewhere, etc. etc. ?

I think a lot of elderly in the US are lonely without realizing it. They don't take those actions because they don't recognize their loneliness. But if you recognize it enough to decide you'd rather be in prison, and then take steps to make that happen ... there's no reason you couldn't use that energy to join a book club.

Your point about people not recognizing their loneliness and therefore not being proactive is a good one. I don't know Japanese culture enough to understand why this would make sense to people. Perhaps, as a PP said, prisons are very nice there and it solves multiple problems at once -- loneliness, housing, not wanting to cook for themselves, etc.

I also think that some of the things you suggest just don't work for people all the time. Sometimes churches are clique-y in a way that is actually more alienating (sadly). Same with volunteer orgs. A book club might not be enough if someone is struggling to fill their days and just has no one. These options only work if the people there are welcoming and interested in reciprocal friendship in a way that fills that need of regular companionship -- if going to church and attending church events doesn't mean standing in the corner feeling uncomfortable, if the volunteering isn't just a bunch of kids in their 20s who only interact with each other, and so on.

Also a lot of these things are less social than they were pre-Covid. My MIL is a regular churchgoer for instance, but she says fully half their congregation just watches services online these days, which means far fewer people showing up to post-service events too. Volunteer organizations that used to sponsor socials and facilitate people meeting each other may have stopped doing that during Covid and it's less of a priority now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who assumes we are superior to Japan?

At least old people there do not have to worry about their grandchildren being gunned down! (We have 26x their murder rate😳)

Strange irrelevant Whataboutism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have a birthrate of only 1.26 births/family and successive generations are smaller...well, this is what happens.

It's humorous that others mention how Asian cultures take care of their elders.

That’s how most of the world used to be. Globalism and the new world order aims to destroy the traditional family unit.

[Anonymous]

Don't have kids hoping they'll be if any help in old age. Only have kids if you want the experience of parenting. Just like a spouse isn't a plan anymore, neither is a child. If they are kind, that's a bonus.

[Anonymous]

I work at the correctional facility one day a week, and there are people who are locked along by them self for weeks. Some of them enjoy being alone and others struggle with loneliness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This report is indicative of how 'comfortable' Japanese prisons must be compared to american ones.
Imagine committing petty crime to keep going back to prison in the US, just to avoid loniless

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it - why would you not join a church, see a neighbor, volunteer somewhere, etc. etc. ?

I think a lot of elderly in the US are lonely without realizing it. They don't take those actions because they don't recognize their loneliness. But if you recognize it enough to decide you'd rather be in prison, and then take steps to make that happen ... there's no reason you couldn't use that energy to join a book club.

Your point about people not recognizing their loneliness and therefore not being proactive is a good one. I don't know Japanese culture enough to understand why this would make sense to people. Perhaps, as a PP said, prisons are very nice there and it solves multiple problems at once -- loneliness, housing, not wanting to cook for themselves, etc.

I also think that some of the things you suggest just don't work for people all the time. Sometimes churches are clique-y in a way that is actually more alienating (sadly). Same with volunteer orgs. A book club might not be enough if someone is struggling to fill their days and just has no one. These options only work if the people there are welcoming and interested in reciprocal friendship in a way that fills that need of regular companionship -- if going to church and attending church events doesn't mean standing in the corner feeling uncomfortable, if the volunteering isn't just a bunch of kids in their 20s who only interact with each other, and so on.

Bingo.
Most of us who are lonely are so because we struggle with making connections with others. Simply saying go volunteer or join a church doesn't help because often it doesn't lead to any real meaningful relationships.
The type of people who can make friends through church or volunteering typically aren't lonely to begin with.

Also a lot of these things are less social than they were pre-Covid. My MIL is a regular churchgoer for instance, but she says fully half their congregation just watches services online these days, which means far fewer people showing up to post-service events too. Volunteer organizations that used to sponsor socials and facilitate people meeting each other may have stopped doing that during Covid and it's less of a priority now.

[Anonymous]

Japanese in polls preferred robots over immigrants. Now add that Japan’s total fertility rate hit a new low of 1.20 in 2023, with the rate for Tokyo falling to 0.99 for the first time.

The median age in Japan is 50 while it’s only 38 in the US. Many European countries have a high median age such as Italy at 48 and Germany at 47.

Japan is about to reach the point of no return where there just won’t be enough women to reproduce to prevent an even more massive decline. The country will then continue to decline. It is mind boggling they are not more proactive about this issue.