Taro Aso, Japanese Minister, says to elderly ‘hurry up and die’ due to cost
Taro Aso says he would refuse end-of-life care and would ‘feel bad’ knowing treatment was paid for by the government.
Aso, the finance minister, said on Monday that the elderly should be allowed to “hurry up and die” to relieve pressure on the state to pay for their medical care.
“Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die. I would wake up feeling increasingly bad knowing that [treatment] was all being paid for by the government,” he said during a meeting of the national council on social security reforms. “The problem won’t be solved unless you let them hurry up and die.”
Aso’s comments are likely to cause offense in Japan, where almost a quarter of the 128 million population is aged over 60. The proportion is forecast to rise to 40% over the next 50 years.
The remarks are also an unwelcome distraction for the new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, whose first period as Japan’s leader ended with his resignation after just a year, in 2007, partly due to a string of gaffes by members of his cabinet.
“Even if (doctors) said they could keep me alive, it would be unbearable,” he said. “I would feel guilty, knowing that (treatment) was being paid for by the government.”
Aso later argued that his comments were misinterpreted. He was speaking about his personal wishes, not those of all senior citizens.