Former Nippon TV Announcer on Needing Support as a Young Carer at 18

One day, she suddenly became a young carer.

“None of us—neither my mother nor my family—ever imagined that such a fate was waiting for us. I can’t even remember how we managed to cook meals. We were truly desperate. There was no internet, so we had no access to information.”

These are the words of Asei Machi (53), a former Nippon TV announcer who now works freelance. At the age of 18, Machi’s mother suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which forced her to take on the role of the mother in the family, managing all household chores. In an instant, she became a young carer.

In March 2021, a study published by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare revealed that one in 17 second-year junior high school students and one in 24 second-year high school students are young carers responsible for caring for a family member. This issue gained widespread attention.

Machi documented her experience of caring for her mother—who returned home as a person with disabilities—and later nursing her through cancer until her passing in her 2013 book Jūnen Kaigo (Ten Years of Caregiving, published by Shogakukan Bunko). In October this year, she published Juenryoku: “Kaigo ga Nichijō Jidai” no Ima Subete no Carer ni Todoketai Hontō ni Hitsuyō na Mono (The Ability to Receive Support: What Every Carer Needs in the Era Where Caregiving is Part of Daily Life, published by Hoken), which also serves as a practical guide.

In an ultra-aging society, where caregiving is no longer someone else’s problem, what should we do when the time comes? In Juenryoku, Machi reflects on her experiences in the 1990s—a time when there was no long-term care insurance and far less understanding of people with disabilities. The book details systems, organizations, and support groups that can provide guidance when you’re unsure where or how to seek help.

In Machi’s case, on the day her mother collapsed, her father told her, “You are the mother starting today.” Suddenly forced into the role of a mother, she faced countless challenges, from managing household chores to balancing the family budget, all of which were entirely new to her.