Tarō Asō, the current Japanese Minister of Finance, does not beat around the bush. More than any other country, Japan is buckling under the pressure of an aging population. Everyone realises that if the number of young people increases (either by birth or by immigration) to care for older people, it will only aggravate the elderly problem in the longer term. Minister Asō, who also serves as the vice premier, turns the problem around. His question is not how we can keep all those older people alive for longer, but rather why are we obliged to keep all those elderly…