Would you call yourself ‘elderly’ at 65?

No, we didn’t think so – which is why the Japanese Government is pushing to raise the age at which people are considered ‘elderly’ from 65 to 75.

“People aged 65-74 ought to be thought of as ‘pre-old’,” a report from the Japan Gerontological Society and the Japan Geriatrics Society states. “’Old’ would be better defined as 75-89, and a special label of ‘super-old’ could be adopted for people 90 and above.”

A recent government survey people aged 60 and over found 51 per cent didn’t think of themselves as senior citizens. Most thought the label should be reserved for those 70 and older.

We agree – maybe just lose the wording. Who wants to be ‘pre-old’?