japan

‘Respect your elders’ is a common adage, and one which many cultures around the world adhere to; honoring older people for their knowledge, wisdom and experience.

But in Japan, a country known for its honor of the elderly, a senior government minister is being criticized for recently telling seniors to “hurry up and die.”

Around the world, thanks to better health and nutrition, people are living longer than ever before. But despite the advancements, the world’s oldest people are clustered in countries like Japan, Switzerland, Australia and Singapore.

Japan, ranked first in the list of countries with the longest life expectancies, recently lost its oldest resident, and the oldest person on the planet, with the death of 115 year-old Koto Okubo.