Japan is home to the world’s oldest population and a growing share of the country’s financial assets – about $2 trillion – are controlled by seniors who are showing signs of cognitive decline.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg’s Alice French about the staggering “dementia money” at risk, the toll of frozen accounts and the haphazard solutions that serve as a stark warning to the rest of the world. 

Read more: Japan's 'Dementia Money' Problem Puts Trillions at Risk - Bloomberg

Further listening: 
The Rise of Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ and Its Political Shift to the Right

Hosted byProduced by Naomi Ng, Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Reported by Alice French, Kentaro Tsutsumi; Edited by Patrich Hirsch, Emma O’Brien; Fact-checking by Yang Yang, Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer

Japan is home to the world&rsquo;s oldest population and a growing share of the country&rsquo;s financial assets &ndash; about $2 trillion &ndash; are controlled by seniors who are showing signs of cognitive decline.
On today&rsquo;s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg&rsquo;s Alice French about the staggering &ldquo;dementia money&rdquo; at risk, the toll of frozen accounts and the haphazard solutions that serve as a stark warning to the rest of the world.&nbsp;
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-01-02/japan-s-dementia-money-problem-puts-trillions-at-risk">Japan's 'Dementia Money' Problem Puts Trillions at Risk - Bloomberg</a>
Further listening: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rise-of-japans-iron-lady-and-its-political/id1746141911?i=1000730668887&amp;l=es-MX">The Rise of Japan&rsquo;s &lsquo;Iron Lady&rsquo; and Its Political Shift to the Right</a>
Hosted by Produced by Naomi Ng, Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Reported by Alice French, Kentaro Tsutsumi; Edited by Patrich Hirsch, Emma O&rsquo;Brien; Fact-checking by Yang Yang, Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer

We’re taking The Big Take to Asia. Each week, Bloomberg’s Oanh Ha tells a story from the home of the world's most dynamic economies - and the markets, tycoons and businesses that drive the ever-shifting region.

We’re taking The Big Take to Asia. Each week, Bloomberg’s Oanh Ha tells a story from the home of the world's most dynamic economies - and the markets, tycoons and businesses that drive the ever-shifting region.

Big Take Asia

Japan’s $2 Trillion ‘Dementia Money’ Cliff

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/594a8bb2-ef1f-4f1f-bdc6-b3d8014f3cb0/transcript