"In our country, which leads the world in longevity, many of the old can now preserve a state of health ..

Question

... commensurate with their age until just before their death".
Sentence in "Japanese : A Comprehensive Grammar" published 2001. How would the healthcare system be achieving this ? Would there be a system to whack patients if their state of health is worse than commensurate with their age ?

Answer 1

Sapuku is performed only as a suicide out of shame of being branded a thief or bankrupt and number of other excuses.

Solution to health-care is to tax the rich and distribute via services.

Answer 2

I believe that in Japanese society Seppuku or ritual suicide is considered an honorable death and could be substituted for an old age of illness and burden.

This, however, is only supposition and would need to be verified.