The 2024 Paris Olympics that started with a schedule from July 26 to August 11 has come to the most interesting part now. There are many events that have already finished, and Team Japan has won 8 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 5 bronze medals as of Japan time 7 a.m. August 2 so far, and it is a great success that does not differ from expectations. And there are athletes who are overjoyed to have won medals splendidly and on the other hand, there are athletes who can’t put out their strength unfortunately and shed tears of frustration. It is just joy and sorrow. It is said that “the most important thing is to take part” in the Olympics, but winning a medal is an extraordinary feeling, because the honor of the country is at stake after all.
And after the competition ends, words of thanks by athletes to the people around them who have supported them until today, refreshing look and determination for further challenges are close to my chest, and I am once again moved by the greatness that sports bring to us. Finally, we enter the second half of the games and the competition continues. I want to cheer while putting up with lack of sleep.

■■What I have recently thought and focused on:
■What politics and citizens should be:
Territories and countries continue to exist even if their shape changes as long as Earth exists. But life of the creatures that live there including the human race is limited without exception and their existence on Earth is just a moment. Under such fate, the human race has responded to changes in the global environment and has been alive without extinction for millions of years. However, looking at the past history, especially in modern times, approximately with a cycle of about 100 years (three generations) paranoid dictator or fanatical leader emerges and distortions and conflicts arise in various ways and war breaks out in a way that settles them. I feel like we are on the edge of that right now.
By the way, the nation and economy coexist with humanity and swing between joy and sadness like growth and decline (the rise and fall), but resuscitation and regeneration are possible again and again unlike living human being. Japan is currently in a period of decline, if I must say. But s shining era will surely come again. In order to do that, painful surgery and constant efforts to improve our constitution on a daily basis are necessary. And what plays that role is politics and public awareness of the current situation and changing our way of thinking.
But to what extent does politics respond to expectations? I am not saying all members of Congress, but not a few members of Congress are not “statesmen” but becoming “politicians”. We all need to be prepared “to sacrifice something to achieve something”. It is not reasonable to think that once you become a politician, you can have everything “status, honor, love affair and money”. But congressmen who seem to be deluded like this are noticeable. Where has “the spirit” been?
On the other hand, the public’s interest in politics is also too low. What symbolizes this is low voter turnout in elections, and in particular, the younger generation is the problem. We must take a more critical look at what politics should be.
John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States who was appointed aged 43 and assassinated aged 46, said to citizens in his inauguration speech that “my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”. Even in the present, I think this word is what we are confronted with.

■The harsh reality of a midsummer night seen in Japan:
◎Leaving the deceased passenger in the JR seat unaware, 12 hours of travel?
There was an article that “a station staff discovered a deceased man” in the seat inside the train that arrived JR Odawara station in the night in May this year. The man seemed to get on the train about 12 hours before his death. Meanwhile, no one noticed any abnormalities. The capacity of the said train is about 2,000. It is “Shonan-Shinjuku Line” passing through stations like Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and so on, and after turning around Utsunomiya station, it operates as “Ueno-Tokyo Line” passing through stations like Ueno, Tokyo, Shinagawa and so on. It turned around three times and traveled 652 km in total on that day. The passenger died of a heart attack after he got on the train at Shibuya station about 8 a.m. and he seemed to be in his seat without anyone noticing. Like this, we tend to be indifferent to our surroundings in the hustle and bustle of a big city or to pretend not to see even if noticing behavior that deviates from social norms or not want to get involved in troublesome things (including self-discipline). Thinking about the current state of the world where people lose their temper from trivial matters, I think it is unavoidable, but at this rate, what will happen to Japanese society?
◎The reality of a death-ridden society:
Japan is currently a low birth and high death society where one child is born, while two people die. Along with that, a lot of things are happening.
According to the National Police Agency, there were about 17,000 seniors aged 65 and over who lived alone and died at home (dying alone and lonely death) from January to March this year. On an annual basis, it will be 68,000.
Under such circumstance, there has been an increase in cases where there are no takers for the bodies of deceased individuals in various ways and it is becoming a new social problem. Moreover, even though their name and address are clearly understood. The Graveyards and Burials Act, the law handling unclaimed bodies, was enacted in 1948. But at that time, we did not expect a situation where no one would take them, even though they had family members or relatives. In Japan, hospitalization, moving into a facility and even long-term care insurance assume the presence of family, but a state of family is changing rapidly. So-called institutional fatigue that can’t respond to change of times and environment is occurring in various fields.
◎Dementia that is approaching “one in seven” and shortage of care workers:
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of patients with dementia is expected to reach 5.23 million in 2030. This is an increase of 0.8 million compared to 2022 and one in seven of seniors aged 65 and over. Moreover, in 2040 when second-generation baby boomer will be 65 years old or over, it will reach 5.84 million. The biggest challenge associated with this is securing care workers. According to an estimate, the number of care workers necessary in 2040 will be about 2.72 million and a shortage of about 0.57 million compared to 2.15 million in 2022 is expected. Monthly average wage of care workers is about 70,000 yen lower than the average for all industries and the exodus of talent continues. Therefore, jobs-to-applicants ratio of home helpers reaches over 15 times in 2022. Improvement of wage and work environment, proactive introduction of DX and AI for that purpose and environmental improvement for accepting foreign workers are urgent issues.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the average life expectancy of the Japanese people last year extended for the first in 3 years, and the average life expectancy of female was 87.14 (the longest in the world) and male was 81.09 (5th in the world). This is because the impact of the pandemic has diminished. Now, it is era of “the 100-year life”. And “don’t scold children, that is the way you came and don’t laugh at old people, that the way you go”. If you live long, “aging” will come to everyone. In addition to self-help supports at the individual level, the expansion and support of institutional aspects and financial aspects of government are necessary.