Japan's geriatric crime wave

As Japan's population ages, the country is facing the new and unexpected problem of senior crime:

The number of people aged 65 or older arrested for crimes other than traffic violations totaled 48,605 last year, up from 24,247 in 2002, the Justice Ministry said in an annual crime report. Elderly crimes rose 4.2 percent in 2007 from a year earlier, though the total number of people arrested fell 4.8 percent to 366,002.

Thefts, such as shoplifting and pick-pocketing, were the most common crimes committed by older people, the report said, citing low income, declining health and a sense of isolation as the main causes of the trend. Serious crimes such as murder and robbery were less prevalent among seniors than younger people.

The report said elderly crime is growing at a much faster pace than the population of senior citizens.

The rise in elderly crime has also forced many prisons to renovate their facilities and provide nursing care.

I shudder to think what this will mean for the next generation of yakuza movies.