An Unsettled Future: Life after Prison in Japan’s Ageing Society

Date
Monday 16 December 2024

Time
6.45pm

Venue
The Swedenborg Society
20-21 Bloomsbury Way (Hall entrance on Barter St)
London WC1A 2TH
[Map]

Booking Details
Free- Booking essential

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Most Japanese people today enjoy exceptionally long lives, and this, along with its low fertility rate, has made Japan the world's oldest population for an astounding 41 years. As the rest of the world follows the same demographic trends, Japan is often seen as a model of successful adaptation to longevity, combining cutting edge technological advancements with ancient cultural wisdom. Yet this carefully cultivated image is not without an unsettling shadow. Japan's ageing population has led to more older people living alone and often struggling to make ends meet. The care system, already in crisis, is projected to only get worse, as dementia and rates of chronic illness and disability rise dramatically in the coming decade. One of the more alarming trends over the last 20 years has been the increase in arrests and imprisonment of older people, many of whom become caught in a cycle of isolation and recidivism. Instead of resettling in the community, life after prison is unsettled and precarious.

In this talk, social anthropologist, Jason Danely, who has been examining this problem over the last six years, will discuss the factors leading to the criminalization of older people in Japan, and what must be done to bring about alternatives to incarceration. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews with formerly incarcerated older people and staff of non-profit organizations that assist in post-release resettlement, Dr. Danely’s talk will amplify the marginalised voices and stories of those affected by the criminal justice system in later life. This talk will also consider the gaps in the current social safety net for vulnerable older people and the creative work of individuals and organisations to repair the reimagine a better alternative for Japan’s ageing society. After all, an unsettled future is not fixed and certain, but remains open to possibility.

If interested in this topic, please check our upcoming The Japan Society Film Club in January discussing the film Under the Open Sky which follows the story of Mikami, an elderly ex-yakuza who is released from prison after 13 years. More information here.

Jason Danely received his bachelor’s degree in Comparative Religions and Asian Studies from Western Michigan University and a Masters and PhD in Anthropology from The University of California San Diego. Since 2014, he has taught anthropology at Oxford Brookes University, where he also chairs the Healthy Ageing & Care Research and Knowledge Exchange Network. Jason is author of over fifty articles and book chapters on topics related to ageing, death and dying, and eldercare in Japan. His books include Aging and Loss: Mourning and Maturity in Contemporary Japan (2014), Fragile Resonance: Caring for Older Family Members in Japan and England (2022), and, most recently, Unsettled Futures: Carceral Circuits and Old Age in Japan (2024). For more information, please visit https://www.jasondanely.com.

If you have any questions, please call The Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

Supported by the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO)

Booking Info