An assistant professor at Yale University has suggested that elderly Japanese commit mass suicide to address the country’s demographic aging crisis.
Yusuke Narita previously suggested that mandatory assisted suicide of the elderly is a “pretty clear” solution to Japan’s rapidly aging population, The New York Times reported Sunday. Narita claimed that his comments were taken out of context, and that he was referring to an effort to make the country’s leadership class younger.
His critics, however, claim that his ideas are “irresponsible,” and that they could negatively influence the younger generation of Japanese.
In a live news show, @YaleEconomics AP #YusukeNarita asserted that the “only solution” to resolve the aging population issue in Japan is to “let elderlies commit mass suicide before they become a harm to society.”
I ask you. @Yale, is this acceptable?pic.twitter.com/HK5RzgFwW4— 💫T.Katsumi🏳️🌈📢 (@tkatsumi06j) January 12, 2023
Spectator editor Stephen Miller argued on Twitter that it evoked similarities to Canada’s policies on euthanasia.
“American press is rapidly on their way to endorsing Canada’s euthanasia health care policy. “What if we tried X” is how this always starts,” he wrote.
Andi Zeisler, editor of Bitch Media, criticized The New York Times for giving Narita a platform.
Steve Silberman, a New York Times bestselling author, expressed shock over Narita’s views.
“It’s shocking how quickly #eugenics – mass murder of the #disabled and #elderly – is being reframed as acceptable or even hip by vapid scumbags like this Yale professor,” Silberman tweeted
Itai Sher, professor of economics at University of Massachusetts at Amherst, shared that he believed Narita’s opinions were detestable, but that they should be allowed in an academic environment without reproach.
“This is an example of the expression of views that I find utterly repugnant and deeply offensive and awful, but that should be permitted without any penalty in an academic setting,” Sher tweeted.
Japan’s demographic crisis continues to be a significant issue looming over the country’s future. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kashida claimed that it is “now or never” to address the country’s rapid aging issue in a policy address to lawmakers. Japanese births dropped below 800,000 for the first time last year, according to Reuters.