“银发礼仪”这一幕，让全球看到日本人口现实

很多人印象中的运动会颁奖礼仪都是青春靓丽的年轻人，但这届爱知·名古屋亚运会有不少颁奖志愿者是银发老人。这引发了关于日本社会老龄化的讨论。

Alongside the young swimmers collecting Asian Games medals stood volunteers with silver hair, holding trays in a scene that brought Japan's aging population into focus.

本届亚运会组委会志愿者部门负责人泽田良树介绍说，此次颁奖礼仪全部由志愿者担任。组委会并未对礼仪岗位设置年龄限制，既不要求必须由青年担任，也没有刻意批量安排老年志愿者值守颁奖岗位。

"All medal ceremony attendants are volunteers," said Ryoki Sawada, head of the organizing committee's volunteer department. "The roles were not reserved for young people, and there had been no deliberate effort to assign large numbers of older volunteers."

不止颁奖礼仪岗位，在本届亚运会的主媒体中心、各个竞赛场馆，随处可见老年志愿者忙碌的身影。

Their presence extends well beyond the podium. Older volunteers are a familiar sight at the main media center and competition venues across the Games.

根据组委会公布的相关数据，本届亚运会和亚残运会约有4万名志愿者，年龄从18岁至91岁不等，其中85%居住在爱知县，55%是首次参加志愿服务。

九成以上承担赛事运行、运动员等人员的交通接送等服务工作，其余人员在主要车站和比赛场馆周边，为观众提供问询引导服务。

Around 40,000 volunteers, aged between 18 and 91, are involved in the Asian Games and Asian Para Games, 85 percent live in Aichi Prefecture, and 55 percent are volunteering for the first time, according to organizing committee figures.

More than 90 percent work in Games support, including event operations and transport for athletes and others. The remainder helps spectators at major railway stations and around venues.

这是在名古屋市内一处地铁站提供问询引导服务的志愿者。

9月21日适逢日本“敬老日”。日本总务省数据显示，截至9月15日，日本65岁及以上人口达3624万，占总人口29.6%，再创历史新高。换言之，日本每10人中，就有近3人年满65岁，老龄化程度在全球人口超过4000万的39个国家及地区中居首。

Sep 21 was Japan's Respect for the Aged Day. Government estimates released ahead of the holiday put the number of people aged 65 and older at 36.24 million as of Sep 15 — a record 29.6 percent of the population, or nearly three in 10 people.

深度老龄化的社会背景下，年长者主动参与社会服务，早已成为日本的常态。从街头出租车司机、园区安保、交通引导员到社区管理员，各行各业都能看到长者坚守岗位的身影。由此便不难理解，亚运赛场上银发礼仪志愿者的亮相，并非“特色展示”，而是东道主社会人口结构状况的现实写照。

Older people doing such work are part of a familiar picture in Japan, where elderly taxi drivers, security guards, traffic marshals and community caretakers remain visible in everyday life. The spotlight of the Asian Games has brought that everyday reality into sharper international focus.