A professor at Yale University (USA) found himself at the center of controversy after stating that the “only solution” to the growing burden on the state in Japan is the “mass suicide” of the elderly. Furthermore, he suggested that euthanasia should be mandatory.
“I feel like the only solution is pretty clear. In the end, isn’t it mass suicide and mass seppuku of the elderly?” asked Yusuke Narita, a 37-year-old economics professor. When speaking of ‘seppuku’ he was referring to the practice that consists of sticking a short weapon into the abdomen and making a cut.
However, he later clarified to The New York Times that his statements, in which he also defended that euthanasia may be “mandatory in the future”, had been taken out of context. As he explained, he was referring to the older people who held positions of leadership and who should step aside to make room for the younger generations.
For this reason, Narita assured, in written messages to the media, that the expression “mass suicide” was a metaphor. “He should have been more careful about its potential negative connotations,” he said, adding that after reflecting on the matter he stopped using it.
“I was primarily concerned about the phenomenon in Japan, where the same tycoons continue to dominate the worlds of politics, traditional industries, and media/entertainment/journalism for many years,” he explained.
According to official figures from last year, for the first time those over 75 accounted for 15% of Japan’s population, while those over 65 reached 29.1%, making the Japanese population in the oldest in the world.
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Narita’s statements about suicide were made during an online program in 2021 and resumed last year when he described to a group of students the 2019 film ‘Midsommar’, in which a Swedish cult sends one of its oldest members to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff.
When asked about his position at the time, he replied: “Whether that’s a good thing or not, that’s a harder question to answer.” “If you think that’s good, then maybe you can work hard to create a society like that,” he added. These explanations came to light in January, when they were reproduced on social networks, which generated more controversy.
One of the people who responded was columnist Masato Fujisaki, who stated that Narita’s supporters believe that the elderly “should die now and social welfare should be cut.” Another journalist, Masaki Kubota, called the Yale professor’s remarks irresponsible, adding that people panicking at the burdens of an aging society might think: “My grandparents are the ones who live the longest and we should get rid of them.” with RT