Last updated: 9 june, 2009 - 09:14 GMT
Treating the elderly in Japan
Japan's population is ageing rapidly, with 20% of the population over 65.
This is putting a strain on medical services, especially outside the big cities.
One hospital has come up with a solution by encouraging elderly doctors to come out of retirement.
The BBC's Roland Buerk reports from the town of Sano.
To play this content JavaScript must be turned on and the latest Flash player installed.
First broadcast 8 June 2009
~RS~a~RS~worldservice~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~33~RS~){kind=small}
bbc.co.uk navigation
BBC links
BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.