Investigation by the Japanese Ministry of Justice could not find 234,354 people over 100 years old, who are listed as alive on paper; in fact, according to the data released today, September 10, their whereabouts are unknown
The first impetus was the story of the oldest resident of Tokyo, 111-year-old Sogen Kato. Officials came to his home to invite him to participate in the celebration of respect for the elderly on September 20, according to journalist Leo Lewis
“After an altercation at the door with Kato's 81-year-old daughter, the guests were escorted upstairs to the old man's bedroom. He really was there. More precisely, there were his bones, bandaged and surrounded by newspapers from October 1978, when he was still alive,”the newspaper writes. Meanwhile, Kato, a resident of the Adachi district, carefully filled out the necessary documents, received his monthly pension on time and was generally listed as alive. Thus, Kato's relatives misappropriated his pension equivalent to 70 thousand pounds. They were later arrested.
Soon, Japan realized a terrible truth: Official statistics - and the Japanese - cannot be trusted. “A country that prides itself on its meticulousness, honesty and order has been plunged into the abyss of negligence, inefficiency and scams,” the article says. The search for the 113-year-old oldest resident of Tokyo, Fuza Furuya, was also unsuccessful: at the address of her daughter, where this woman is registered, she has not been seen for 50 years.
“Japan pondered over the fate of 41,000 citizens aged 100 and over. Anomalies began to appear everywhere,”the newspaper writes. In Kobe, a 127-year-old man was considered alive, who actually died during the Vietnam War. “In many cases, children aged 50-60 returned home, found their parents dead and decided to receive a pension for them instead of registering death and spending money on funerals,” the newspaper explains. But the scandal also revealed the fact that in Japan one-sixth of the population lives below the poverty line.
“The missing old people are a symptom of an unfounded belief in human kindness and the competence of the state. We need to face reality,”says leading sociologist Mariko Bando. An unnamed Tokyo official commented that the old man story is just one example of the system's general inefficiency: "If there is a major earthquake in Tokyo, the shortcomings can be very costly."
In Japan, it is customary to use "incan" - a stamp with a name to sign documents. To register a marriage, it is enough to appear at the relevant department alone and present the incan of the groom / bride. Old people confirm that they are still alive by simply stamping the postcard. “We trust people. The transition to a system based on the fact that people have criminal inclinations is simply not possible, in my opinion,”says Manabu Hazikano from the registration department of the Adachi district. The scandal casts doubt on the reliability of the statistics in Japan.