Old people in Japan should kill themselves to avoid burdening the state, academic believes

Academic says remark that Japanese tradition of self-evisceration is ‘the only solution’ to growing state burden was taken out of context. Photo / 123rf

WARNING: This story discusses suicide. Helplines can be found at the bottom of the page

Old people in Japan should kill themselves to avoid burdening the state, a professor at Yale University has said.

Yusuke Narita, an assistant professor of economics, has also suggested that euthanasia could be made compulsory.

Last year, official statistics in Japan revealed that over-75s accounted for 15 per cent of the country’s population for the first time. Those over 65 account for 29.1 per cent of the total, making the Japanese population the oldest in the world.

“I feel like the only solution is pretty clear,” said Narita, 37. “In the end, isn’t it mass suicide and mass ‘seppuku’ of the elderly?” – referring to the act of disembowelment employed by dishonoured Samurai in the late 19th century.

Narita told The New York Times his comments had been taken out of context, adding that they related to demands for older people in leadership positions to make way for the younger generation. He said his primary concern was how old people dominated positions of influence in Japanese society.

The references to “mass suicide” and “mass seppuku” touched a raw nerve in a country which honoured kamikaze pilots during the Second World War.

Narita insisted his remarks about mass suicide were a metaphor, adding: “I should have been more careful about their potential negative connotations. After some self-reflection, I stopped using the words last year.”

His controversial remarks have generated a large following on social media, as well as triggering an angry backlash.

Masato Fujisaki, a Newsweek Japan columnist, said Narita’s supporters “believed old people should just die already and social welfare should be cut”.

Masaki Kubota, another journalist, described the remarks as irresponsible, adding that people believe: “Oh, my grandparents are the ones who are living longer, and we should just get rid of them.”

Others fear that Narita is rekindling views that have gained some currency in Japan where deference towards older generations is waning. In 2013 Taro Aso, the country’s finance minister, said the elderly should “hurry up and die” to spare the nation the cost of their medical care.

The Telegraph had not received a reply to a request for comment from Narita on Sunday night.