The country is already struggling with the question of who will pay these rising costs. All Japanese citizens have access to health plans sponsored by employers and local governments, but the cost of a nursing home stay is not covered. Minister of Health Masako Ii believes that Japan should promulgate a national old-age program by 1997, but the country would have to increase taxes to fund it. Manufacturers of medical products can profit by addressing the specific needs of senior citizens, which usually involve extra attention and assistance. Japanese families have traditionally assumed responsibility for supporting their elderly.
Nursing homes are another alternative.
Japanese entrepreneurs have begun to exploit this growing queue by constructing retirement communities abroad, particularly in Southeast Asia. As part of its so-called Silver Hair Program, Malaysia offers incentives to attract wealthy Japanese retirees. Singapore lures the same sorts of individuals with luxury cruises and other incentives. As in the rest of Southeast Asia, the leading causes of death in Singapore are changing. Fifty years ago, they were tropical diseases such as malaria.