An elderly man walks along a street covered with snow in Tokyo. A growing trend of elder abuse in Japan has raised concerns for the rest of ageing Asia. Photo: EPA
As Asia ages, growing elder abuse in Japan foretells what Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea may face in future
- Japan reported a record 17,281 incidents of elder abuse in 2020, the latest year for which statistics are available – 25 of which resulted in deaths
- The surge in violence has been linked in part to pandemic-born frustrations, as similar spikes have also been reported in domestic and child abuse cases
An elderly man walks along a street covered with snow in Tokyo. A growing trend of elder abuse in Japan has raised concerns for the rest of ageing Asia. Photo: EPA
