The LDP ( Liberal Democratic Party) has been the ruling party in Japan after the Second World War.  In Japan the care by the private bodies ( including the family) , instead of the care by the official sector, has been emphasized.  

In Sweden the word "Private" has a wide meaning and means "not Public".  So the care by the non-profit organization is called "Private" also.  But in Japan "Private" usually means the care by the business catering for the elderly.  For example, most of the Japanese old age homes and nursing homes are run by the non-profitable organization so called "welfare organization", but it is called "public service", because they get the subsidy of the running cost and cons t ruction cost s from t he government.  Moreover the Ministry of Health and Welfare decide the guideline of the institution and subsidizes the running cost.

There are some kinds of care by the "private"(=not public) bodies in Japan as follows;

   In Japan the care by the family is not called "private". But this service is not "public" care, so I would like to mention to it here.

In Japan the social service (welfare) is regarded as only for the poor people. And in the past majority of the Japanese people believed that it was quite natural that the family took care of the elderly. 

But for the last ten years the care by the families have become more and more difficult.

The reasons are as follows; 

1.  More and more women have job recently. 

2.  More and more elderly live longer.

3.  The ratio of the elderly who live with their children have decreased rapidly especially at the big cities and the ratio of the elderly who live alone have increased. 

4. The elderly generation and their children's generation want to be more independent each other.

   It is interesting that the Japanese society is becoming more similar to the Swedish society.  I think that the current situation in Japan is similar to that in 1950's - 60's in Sweden.

In Japan, the elderly have been seen as weaklings, dependent on their offspring. The nation's continuing prosperity, however, is encouraging more and more people to depend on less on their children and to spend their final years doing whatever they want to do.  Every year, a growing number of elderly tourists travel overseas -and if they can do that, they can certainly live on their own.

A 1992 survey conducted by the Management and Coordination Agency (MCA) found that 60% of all Japanese in their sixties would prefer -if and when the need arises -to be cared for by professionals.  Most said they would not want to trouble their families, or that their families could not provide the adequate care

.  And the reality of the care by the families has been becoming worse and worse every year.  As an alternative for the care by the families the business catering for the elderly been introduced in Japan.

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