Well, I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at this one, but it appears Mitsutoshi Fukatsu, a soon to retire Train Station Attendant has finally said "I love you" to his wife, after three decades of marriage. Way to go Mitsutoshi! We all support you for your years of neglect...er, momentary statement of fondness.

While this may seem to many like an extremely effort layden step, large enough to keep any wife working... er... happy for at least another 3 decades, it appears that Mr. Fukatsu views this as the first step of many, along with many other soon to retire Japanese men who have suddenly realized how much they are madly in love with the women who have served them for the last few decades without so much as a smile in response.

Of course none of this has anything to do with the "impending law change that gives housewives a bigger share of their spouse's pension" in case of divorce,(Tabuki, The Associated Press) which is expected to provide a serious boost in the pocket cash of divorce lawyers all across Japan. Not to mention a surge in individual blue haired old women flooding the department stores, blurry-eyed-drunk on freedom and the sweet sweet liquer of consumerism (and perhaps a catarac or two).

The whole retiree love movement kind of makes me wish I was an aging emotionally unavailable husband so I could jump on the old Love and Gratitude bandwagon. Maybe get a bit of blue-haired action while I'm at it, hey? Something tells me, however, that like most "movements" of the aged, this one will take a while before it finally splashes down in a big way.

Until then, I'm off to my local Nursing Home, as I still don't have a date for the weekend.

View article here at Japan Times.