During the first half of 2024, nearly 40,000 people in Japan were found dead alone in their homes, according to a report by the National Police Agency. Of these, almost 4,000 had been deceased for over a month before being discovered, and 130 bodies remained unnoticed for an entire year.
Japan, home to the world’s oldest population according to the United Nations, faces a growing issue of elderly individuals living—and dying—alone. The police report sheds light on this pressing concern.
The data reveals that 37,227 people who lived alone were found dead at home during the first half of 2024, with over 70% of them aged 65 and older. While 40% of these individuals were discovered within a day of passing, 3,939 were not found until more than a month later. Shockingly, 130 people lay undiscovered for at least a year.
The largest age group among the deceased was those aged 85 and above, accounting for 7,498 deaths. This was followed by those aged 75-79, with 5,920 deaths, and those aged 70-74, with 5,635 deaths.
The National Police Agency’s findings will be submitted to a government group investigating unattended deaths. The report underscores the loneliness and isolation faced by Japan’s aging population, an issue that the government is actively trying to address.
In April, Japan introduced a bill aimed at tackling its long-standing problem of loneliness and social isolation, partly driven by the aging population. Despite ongoing efforts to counteract the effects of a declining and aging population, the situation is becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Japan is on the brink of not being able to function as a society due to its declining birth rate. Similar demographic challenges are emerging in neighboring countries. In 2022, China’s population declined for the first time since 1961, while South Korea continues to report the lowest fertility rate in the world.
Source: BBC
