◆Over 6 million designated for the first time

According to a study by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, as of March 2015 6,060,000 people had been designated as needing support or nursing care, in an increase of over 220,000 people compared to the same month the previous year.
It was the first time that over 6 million had been designated on a fiscal year basis, and this nearly amounts to one in every 20 citizens.

◆50% increase in the past 10 years

There has been a 50% increase in the number of designated people over the past 10 years.
The gender breakdown of the designated 6,060,000 people is 4,190,000 women and 1,870,000 men. Especially in the 75 and over age range, women participants far outnumber men.
Women have longer lifespans, and make up 57% of the population over 65 years of age. In addition, it could be that women feel less resistance to receiving nursing care than men do.

◆Shortage of caregivers becomes serious

Because of this, the shortage of nursing care facilities and workers is becoming ever more serious.
In 2014, the increase in the number of people receiving in-home services was especially notable, growing 3.7% primarily due to home-visit nursing care and day services.
On the other hand, the number of people using nursing care facilities such as intensive-care nursing homes was at 1,210,000, only growing by 1.6%. This due to the growing seriousness of the shortage in facilities, with 500,000 nationwide on waiting lists to be admitted to intensive-care nursing homes.

◆Great worry over the increase in job losses due to nursing care

If public nursing care services cannot be fully accessed, then families bear the strain.
According to a study by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, the number of people who left their jobs to care for a family member in 2013 was 930,000, an increase of 41% compared to the previous year. It is twice the number from five years ago. Three-quarters of these people were women, and many were in their late 40s or 50s.
If more people leave their jobs to care for family members, this could depress the entire economy, and hinder Japan’s economic growth.

◆What are the policies of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare?

The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare plans to re-examine the nursing care leave policy to allow leaves to be taken multiple times in order to halt the rise of the number of people who leave their jobs for nursing care. On the other hand, controlling payments in order to preserve the nursing care insurance system is also urgent, and reforms are needed to reduce nursing care payments.
The number of people designated for nursing care is expected to keep rising, and these study results highlight the urgency of this issue for the government and society as a whole.