Yale Professor: 50% of Japan’s Elderly Should Stage Samurai Farewell Parade
Yale professor Yusuke Narita proposes Japan’s aging 50% population embrace mass ritual seppuku, blending economic theory with samurai pageantry. Trending queries like “Japan’s population crisis” and “What is seppuku?” collide as Narita’s quote—“Isn’t it mass suicide and mass seppuku of the elderly?”—sparks visions of retirement homes trading bingo for short swords, all while Japan’s Prime Minister warns of demographic doom.
Trading retirement parties for ritual send-offs, Narita’s plan lands him in global headlines and “Yale professor Japan suicide comments” surges as a top search. Japan’s suicide rate, three times Britain’s, collides with “why is Japan’s population declining?” amid surreal images of economists hosting Midsommar-themed seminars. Sociologist Yuki Honda retorts, “hatred toward the vulnerable,” as Narita’s “out of context” defense raises more eyebrows than a pension reform bill.
Japan’s population is projected to shrink by more than 50% by 2100, yet in 2023, the country saw elderly residents set themselves on fire or jump in front of trains—making Tokyo’s morning commute unexpectedly mythological.
