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 Koji Iwatsuki, 62, retires this month after working
as a technician for the past 40 years at a leading steel company. "I am
looking forward to a new life, "says the tall, muscular man, who goes
jogging at 6 a.m. daily and plays golf once a week.

Iwatsuki will be joining Japan's largest growing demographic group -- those 60 or older. As of last October, the elderly make up 18 percent or 22.87 million of the country's 127 million population, up 0.6 percent from the previous year.

The latest white paper on ageing, compiled by the Cabinet and released
today, adds that the number of elderly people will rise dramatically in
Japan, accounting for 26 percent of the population by 2015 and 30 percent by
2030.

More important, the report also reveals that Japan's aged are in good shape physically and socially active.

Three-fourths of citizens aged 65 or older say they do not have physical
problems that affect their daily lives. For those aged 60 or older, 50.3
percent say they go out almost daily.

About 90 percent of those capable of driving said they drive two to three
times a week.

"There is no doubt, Japan's elderly are young both at heart and physically.
I am ashamed to refer to them as old these days," says Hiroko Oba, head of the public-funded Foundation for Research on Elderly and Welfare.

Energetic Iwatsuki and even his 84-year old mother, who lives alone, can
vouch easily for this new image.

Iwatsuki says his widowed mother drives, takes regular trips with her
friends, and has started singing classes. "Despite a bout with a cancer a
few years, she is even more sprightly than she has ever been since her
husband passed away two decades ago," grins Iwatsuki.

Japan, which boasts of the world's top longevity, is now grappling with its
fastest ageing society among industrialized countries.

Japan's Kamata Hongo, 114 years old, became the oldest person in the world in March. While she needs help to walk and speak, her daughter reports that she eats heartily and is in good health.

According to a survey conducted in January this year, the life expectancy of Japanese climbed from a little more than 79 years previously to 80.95 years for men. Japanese women live an average 89.22 years, up from 86 years.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry also reports that one in every 20
Japanese women has a high probability of celebrating her 100th birthday.

But analysts point out that there is no need to worry too much about the
quality of life of many elderly Japanese.

Hiroshi Shimada, 64, professor at Obirin University, says that 80 percent of elderly people in Japan can function independently in daily life. "The
stereotyped image of old people as a social burden does not apply to Japan any more," he explains.

Analysts say seniors in Japan lead lifestyles that are very different to
their parents following the post-World War Two Westernization of the
country.

Mie Maruyama, a social worker, explains that older people are now spending money on themselves rather than giving it away to their children in exchange for being looked after in their old age, according to Japanese tradition.

"There is a growing feeling among the aged that they can no longer depend on their offspring. Thus seniors prefer to spend their hard-earned money on
having a good time or saving for a rainy day," she explains.

According the Health and Welfare Ministry, almost 20 percent of the elderly in Japan reported living alone, with the majority responding they liked
their independence rather than relying on their children.

The government contends that there will be an increase of old people living
alone or in homes for the elderly, just like in the West.

"The new concept for successful ageing is to help the elderly remain
independent and lead high-quality lives," says Shimada, who will launch the
country's first post-graduate course on interdisciplinary gerontology.

Still, Oba says that despite better health, loneliness is bound to be a
leading problem for the ageing in the coming years as more seniors begin to
live alone.

"To combat the issue, we are concentrating very hard on getting them to
socialise. Our annual sports events have been highly successful in this
respect -- more than 2,000 participants," she explains.

Japan is also beginning to wake up to the potential of this market of
elderly people. The over-65 group is at the top of the country's $11.3
trillion savings.

Economists predict that Japan's elderly will be spending nearly $95 billion
a year on new products, home care, and home renovations to make their lives
easier.

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