Chie Hayakawa's 'Plan 75' Film Explores State-Sponsored Euthanasia in Aging Japan

Chie Hayakawa's science fiction film 'Plan 75' presents a fictional government program offering subsidized voluntary euthanasia to Japanese citizens aged 75 and older. The policy includes incentives like free funerals, counseling sessions, and approximately $1,000 grants. Set against Japan's real demographic crisis with a fertility rate of 1.4 children per woman and over 40% of the population over 60, the film examines social atomization rather than debating euthanasia ethics. Characters include Michi, an aging hotel housekeeper who develops a relationship with her Plan 75 counselor, and Hiromu, a program employee who encounters his long-lost uncle as a client. The narrative follows Filipino care workers separated from families and elderly individuals isolated from younger generations. Research for the film revealed that most elderly women in one focus group would welcome such a program in reality. A 2020 UK survey by the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics found 79% of respondents wanted euthanasia options when dying. The film's naturalistic style blurs documentary and fiction while critiquing how societies marginalize economically unproductive members. It premiered in 2022 and has sparked discussion about generational politics and loneliness in aging populations globally.