More pet owners in Japan, graying or living alone, are turning to "guardianship" services for their dogs and cats in case they cannot look after the beloved animals upon their death or other unforeseeable events.
People aged 80 and over have topped 10 percent of Japan's population for the first time, government data show, as the country with the world's highest proportion of elderly people continues to grapple with a rapidly aging society.
The number of centenarians in Japan is estimated at a record 92,139, led by women, who account for 88.5 percent of the total with the world's longest life expectancy, welfare ministry data shows.
Japanese consumer credit company Orient Corp. will tie up with more than a dozen regional banks nationwide in October to expand its new loan business aimed at helping people buy empty houses, company officials said.