Section 3  Conclusion

  The problem of elderly offenders is a serious issue that Japan will inevitably face in the future. As pointed out a number of times already, it is doubtful that the risk of increasing the number of offenses committed by those who will become elderly within the next 10 years could be dealt with successfully merely through conventional measures against elderly offenders.
  The characteristics of elderly offenders include that they have often drifted apart from their relatives, and in many cases are living alone and financially unstable, that they have mental or physical problems or diseases, etc. specific to elderly, and are difficult to provide with living guidance due to their personalities/characteristic behavior, and that many of them repeat offenses. On the other hand, some are still very active, even at an elderly age, and have the ability to work, thus enabling them to contribute to society through employment.
  As basic measures in community for such elderly offenders, it is extremely important to first secure the stability of their living conditions and then provide relaxed and meaningful lives without them becoming isolated. This probably cannot be realized only through criminal justice. Instead, measures must be taken by our whole society through close collaboration of criminal justice measures and with other measures such as improvements in the welfare system, expansion of their daily lives and activities, discussions on employment support measures for elderly who are capable of working, and establishment of systems in cooperation with communities, etc.
  It is inevitable that aging in Japan will progress further as the baby-boom generation become elderly over the next five years, making it timely for measures against elderly offenders in such a society to be reconsidered from the very beginning.