This Week: How Japan is Working to Address the Rise in Elderly Women Imprisonment

Finding Comfort in Prison

Shiho Fukada

With the world's oldest population, Japan faces unforeseen challenges—like the growing number of elderly women in prison. The crimes these women commit are usually minor: in 9 of 10 cases, the seniors are found guilty of shoplifting. Some of the women are looking for excitement, some just want things they can't afford. But as Shiho Fukada reports for Bloomberg Businessweek, many are desperately lonely. "I enjoy my life in prison more," says Mrs. N, 80. "There are always people around, and I don’t feel lonely here... when I was out, I couldn’t help feeling nostalgic.”

A Dubious Plan in Myanmar

Timothy McLaughlin

Myanmar has pushed its powerful business executives to pump millions of dollars into Rakhine State, the site of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya. But there are many questions about who will benefit, reports Timothy McLaughlin for The Washington Post.

An Ecological Comeback

Dene-Hern Chen and Taylor Weidman

The rapid collapse and ruin of the Aral Sea is considered one of the world's worst ecological disasters. But as Dene-Hern Chen and Taylor Weidman report for National Geographic, part of the sea is now experiencing a revival.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.