"Old people have no place here": Japanese economist proposed to rid society of the elderly
For many years, Japanese society has been steadily aging. The government of the country conducts many programs that encourage young people to create families and have children, but they do not give effect. Associate Professor of Economics at Yale University Yusuke Narita believes that the old people are to blame for everything. He proposed to solve the problem of the growing number of elderly people in an inhumane but effective way.
In 2022, the number of people over the age of 75 in Japan reached 15 percent of the total number of residents of the country. At the same time, the Japanese who crossed the 65-year—old milestone - 29.1 percent. 37-year-old Narita is sure that the demographic problem is connected with the fact that older people occupy senior positions and do not allow young people to earn money. Because of this, the Japanese are reluctant to marry and rarely have children — they are afraid of the prospect of poverty.
Yusuke Narita argues that the only way to rid society of the problem is to deprive the elderly of their lives. The economist proposes to legally oblige the elderly to pass away. They may be offered a choice — the traditional Japanese suicide "seppuku" or euthanasia using medical drugs.
Narita expressed his point of view during an interview on one of the news channels:
Narita turned out to have a lot of supporters, but in general society was horrified by his ideas. A well-known journalist in the country, Masaki Kubota, condemned the scientist and called his statements irresponsible. Kubota also believes that Narita's ideas are dangerous. His supporters may take the economist's reflections as a call to action. They will begin to get rid of their parents and grandparents cruelly. The journalist stressed that the thoughts that someone "has lived in this world" are immoral and even criminal.
It is worth saying that the Japanese youth is very respectful to the elderly. In what other country are old people willing to pay money for what they grumble and teach?