1.
Mother said Josh Powell threatened her
TOKYO, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- The elderly in Japan are turning to petty crime, including shoplifting and pick-pocketing, to help make ends meet, the nation's Justice Ministry said.
A government report found that last year, 48,605 Japanese persons age 65 and older were arrested in crimes other than traffic violations, which is more than double the number five years earlier, CNN reported Wednesday.
"The main reasons they shoplift are poverty and loneliness," said Kazuo Kawakami, a former federal prosecutor. "The traditional Japanese family is gone, and now our elderly live alone."
Japan's economy lapsed into recession this year, and at the same time, the nation's pension system has been beset by corruption, leaving many pensioners worrying about their future.
CNN said on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, more elderly than youths -- by a 3 to 2 ratio -- were arrested in 2006.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Additional Top News Stories | |
TACOMA, Wash., Feb. 9 (UPI) --
The mother of Josh Powell, who killed himself and his sons in a fire in Washington state, said in divorce papers he exhibited disturbing behavior as a teenager.
|
NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (UPI) --
Macaulay Culkin is in "perfectly good health," his publicist said after the former child star was photographed looking gaunt and disheveled in New York.
|
TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 9 (UPI) --
The Israeli government plans to build a floating liquefied natural gas terminal with a sea-based defense radar system off its Mediterranean coast while forming a naval force to protect its rich offshore gas fields against terrorist attack.
|
XINXIANG CITY, China, Feb. 9 (UPI) --
A set of parents in China said they expected a large baby, but they were shocked when their son came out weighing a potentially record-setting 15 1/2 pounds.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption
