Nearly 40,000 people in Japan died alone in their homes during the first half of 2024, as reported by the country’s police. Of these, almost 4,000 people were discovered more than a month after their death, and 130 bodies went unnoticed for a year before being found, according to the National Police Agency.
The United Nations has identified Japan as having the world’s oldest population. The National Police Agency aims for its report to highlight the increasing issue of many elderly people in Japan living and dying alone. Data from the first half of 2024 indicates that a total of 37,227 people living alone were found dead at home, with those aged 65 and over comprising more than 70% of the total.
Unattended deaths
The police report noted that around 40% of those who died alone at home were discovered within a day. However, it was also found that nearly 3,939 bodies were discovered more than a month after death, and 130 bodies remained unnoticed for at least a year before discovery. The data shows that the largest group of deceased individuals, totaling 7,498, were aged 85 and above, followed by 5,920 individuals aged 75-79, and 5,635 individuals aged 70-74.
The police agency will present its findings to a government group investigating unattended deaths. The Japanese National Institute of Population and Social Security Research stated earlier this year that the number of elderly citizens (aged 65 and above) living alone is projected to reach 10.8 million by 2050. The total number of single-person households is expected to rise to 23.3 million in the same year.
Dysfunctional society
In April, the Japanese government introduced a bill aimed at addressing the country’s long-standing issues of loneliness and isolation, partly attributed to its aging population. Japan has made efforts to counteract its aging and declining population, but managing the shift is becoming increasingly challenging. Last year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Japan is nearing a point where it might not be able to function as a society due to the declining birth rate.
Other neighboring countries are also dealing with similar demographic challenges. In 2022, China’s population declined for the first time since 1961, while South Korea has consistently reported the lowest fertility rate in the world.
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Solitary Deaths
Japan has struggled for a long time with what is known as “solitary deaths,” where individuals living without a support network die and remain unnoticed for extended periods.
In one notable case from more than two decades ago, an elderly man was found three years after he had died. His rent and utilities were being automatically deducted from his bank account, and when the funds were finally exhausted, authorities investigated the situation.
This year, the Japanese government released its first official count of solitary deaths. In the first three months, nearly 22,000 people died alone and went unnoticed for a prolonged period. The majority of these individuals are elderly. This suggests that around 88,000 people are expected to experience solitary deaths in Japan this year.
Set to worsen
This issue is only set to worsen, given that Japan has the world’s oldest society, with over one in ten people being older than 80. However, this is not solely a problem of an aging population. For many, the phenomenon of solitary deaths in Japan reflects a society that has lost its sense of community; neighbors no longer watch out for each other, and many residents opt for isolation.
As Japan faces the challenge of a rapidly aging population, the issue of supporting individuals who live and age alone is becoming increasingly important on the policy agenda.
Government statistics indicate that single-person households accounted for 36% in 2020, with this percentage expected to remain high in the future. The proportion of people aged 65 and older was 28.6% in 2020, and this figure is also projected to increase.
Additionally, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimates that the number of people over 65 living alone will rise from 7.38 million in 2020 to 8.87 million in 2030 and 10.84 million by 2050.
There are also concerns that the number of people dying alone, unnoticed and due to self-neglect, will increase, although this issue is not entirely new to Japan.
Koritsushi
The term *koritsushi* (isolated death) became widely recognized in Japan after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, when many elderly individuals were displaced from their communities and had to live in temporary housing for extended periods. Some of these individuals then fell into a state of self-neglect, refusing to care for themselves or accept necessary care from others.
Experts highlight that conditions such as dementia, memory problems, and mental illnesses often lead to such states. They emphasize that even when individuals refuse to accept care, the government must find better ways to assist them to ensure they live with dignity. They also stress the need to consider the socioeconomic impact of solitary deaths on those left behind, such as neighbors and family members.
A 2011 report by the NLI Research Institute on *koritsushi* and self-neglect noted that 70% of municipalities nationwide were not collecting data on solitary deaths, and 85% did not have a clear definition of such deaths.
In response to this situation, the Cabinet Office, in August last year, established a working group of experts to examine the current circumstances surrounding solitary deaths, as part of efforts to develop necessary measures.
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