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Some older women are beginning to see prison life as a preferable option to freedom due to the growing sense of loneliness among Japan’s ageing population.

The majority of the convicts of Tochigi Women’s Prison, Japan’s largest women’s correctional facility, are 65 years of age or older.

Some of the women prefer the stability and company provided inside the prison walls to the loneliness that exists outside, according to Takayoshi Shiranaga, one of the prison officials who talked to CNN.

“There are even people who say they will pay 20,000 or 30,000 yen ($130-190) a month (if they can) live here forever,” he said.

In addition to regular meals, free medical care, and eldercare services, the pastel-pink prison offers its elderly convicts the company they do not have outside.

Due of poverty, several of these women have been imprisoned for stealing. More than 80% of senior female prisoners countrywide were imprisoned for shoplifting in 2022, according to government data.

Akiyo (not her real name) is an 81-year-old prisoner serving her second sentence for food theft. “This prison has some really decent inmates. I think this is the most steady existence I’ve ever had,” she remarked.

Prior to her arrest, Akiyo, who had been living on a meagre pension that was insufficient to support her, claimed she felt hopeless. “If I had been financially stable and had a comfortable lifestyle, I definitely wouldn’t have done it,” she said. She went on to say that she felt as though there was no purpose in life because of her financial difficulties and loneliness.

The terrible conditions that many elderly prisoners endure outdoors were also brought to light by prison officials. Shiranaga stated that some prisoners intentionally commit crimes again in order to obtain the free medical care and other necessities offered in prison. “There are people who come here because it’s cold, or because they’re hungry,” Shiranaga said.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports that 20% of Japanese adults 65 and older live in poverty, which is much higher than the average of 14.2% for its 38 member nations.

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