Shoplifting by elderly folks has surged. Many worked tirelessly through Japan’s boom years, and when they hit 60 or 65, they realized they were no longer needed. That’s what’s happening in Japan.

So is he saying they are shoplifting for attention and not because they don't have money to purchase items? Is there logic in this statement?

I think he's saying that because the elderly feel rejected by the society they helped to build, they try to justify the acts of theft (as "getting even"), i.e., it's done out of spite and not because they are stealing in order to survive.

@Virtuoso... Thanks! OK... I can see a little that he's trying to make that connection, but not the entire population of seniors. They've gotta be petty thieves in most cases.

he means that they are realising that their savings and pensions won't support them to the standard they were expecting.

I think someone stole Fukui's brain!

The vast majority are stealing because they don't have the $$$ & more than a few steal HOPING to land in jail for the free room & board.

I don't wanna get old or die in Japan, clearly is SUCKS!

I re-read the above comment several times ... and still it makes no sense to me. That shoplifting by the elderly is on the rise is a fact. However, the comment "they realized they were no longer needed" makes no sense. It needs further explanation. And being that Mr. Fukui is not a psychiatrist, I doubt if he clearly expressed what he meant.