Ever since the government launched the kaigo hoken system in 2000 to provide nursing care services for seniors, the health ministry reviews revenues and expenditures every year and adjusts them accordingly. What this means is that every year premiums go up, which makes sense since the number of seniors is increasing while the population in general remains static or shrinks. In 2000, 15.6 percent of the population was 65 or older. In 2011 the same demographic accounted for 21.4 percent of the population.

Starting at age 40, every resident of Japan pays kaigo hoken premiums, the amount determined by age and income. Even seniors who are eligible for and receive kaigo (nursing care) services pay premiums. They also bear 10 percent of the cost of their care. As each year passes, the burden gets heavier. In 2000, the average monthly premium for people 65 and older was ¥2,911. This past April, that amount breached ¥5,000, and it's sure to go up. The baby boom generation will turn 75 in 2025, when it is estimated that the cost of kaigo hoken services, including the 10 percent that seniors bear, will total somewhere between ¥19 and ¥23 trillion. That's twice the cost of such services in 2012. Consequently, average premiums for seniors will be more than ¥8,000.