Up to 60,000 drivers in Japan suspected of having dementia, police report finds

Law requires elderly drivers who show signs of dementia to see a doctor to renew licenses

A quarter of Japan's total population are over 65 (Getty)

Up to 60,000 elderly drivers in Japan showed signs of possible dementia, a police report found.

The issue represents another facet of the Asian country’s rapidly ageing population.

Around 57,000 drivers aged 75 and over were suspected of having dementia when they went to renew their driving licenses, the national police agency said.

A law introduced last year requires those who show signs of dementia to see a doctor.

Of the more than two million people who took the tests in the year up to the end of March, around 1,900 had their licenses suspended or nullified, while about 16,000 gave theirs up after being found to possibly have dementia.

While around 13,000 drivers were allowed to continue driving after their screening, about 9,000 of them are now required to have another medical examination in six months due to their deteriorating cognitive functions.

Japan’s ageing population is increasingly made up of over 65s.

A quarter of the country’s total population are over 65, a figure which is estimated to reach a third by 2050.

In a 2016 study, 40 per cent of families looking after elderly relatives said they were unable to care at home, and 70 per cent said their caring responsibilities have become a burden.