Japan Searches for Missing Centenarians
- 14 years ago
Japanese authorities are scrambling to locate senior citizens who are over the age of 100 this year. The search was prompted by Tokyo’s oldest man whose remains were found mummified in his home.
On Friday, local governments across Japan were searching for hundreds of residents who are…. or will be… over the age of 100 this year.
This search was triggered earlier last month after authorities in Tokyo called upon a man they believed to be Tokyo's oldest at 111 years old, only to find he had been dead over 30 years… and his remains had mummified in his family home.
"From now on we will conduct one-on-one interviews with all senior citizens over 100-years-old, and confirm their current conditions."
Authorities are looking for Tokyo's oldest woman at 113 years old. A family member said that she has not been seen in years after she ran away from home follwing an argument with her daughter-in-law.
In Osaka, authorities say a woman who would be 119 years old this year, if alive is Japan's oldest. But she has been unaccounted for since 2002.
Some blame the disappearance of those seniors on the lack of traditional cultural values.
"Some blame poverty as the cause, but that's not the only problem here - the ever-thinning relationship between people is the main problem."
On Friday, local governments across Japan were searching for hundreds of residents who are…. or will be… over the age of 100 this year.
This search was triggered earlier last month after authorities in Tokyo called upon a man they believed to be Tokyo's oldest at 111 years old, only to find he had been dead over 30 years… and his remains had mummified in his family home.
"From now on we will conduct one-on-one interviews with all senior citizens over 100-years-old, and confirm their current conditions."
Authorities are looking for Tokyo's oldest woman at 113 years old. A family member said that she has not been seen in years after she ran away from home follwing an argument with her daughter-in-law.
In Osaka, authorities say a woman who would be 119 years old this year, if alive is Japan's oldest. But she has been unaccounted for since 2002.
Some blame the disappearance of those seniors on the lack of traditional cultural values.
"Some blame poverty as the cause, but that's not the only problem here - the ever-thinning relationship between people is the main problem."