Japan faces rising challenge of elderly dying alone at home

Japan Faces Rising Challenge as a recent report by Japan’s National Police Agency paints a concerning picture: nearly 40,000 people died alone in their homes during the first half of 2024. Of these, nearly 4,000 individuals were not discovered until more than a month after their death, with 130 bodies going unnoticed for a year or longer.

Japan, recognized by the United Nations as having the world’s oldest population, is struggling with the increasing issue of elderly citizens living and dying in isolation. The National Police Agency hopes that its report will draw attention to this growing problem.

Japan Faces Rising Challenge: Impact of Demographic Shifts on Society’s Functionality

The data, collected from the first six months of 2024, shows that 37,227 people living alone were dead found at home. Notably, more than 70% of these individuals were aged 65 and over. While 40% of those who died alone were found within a day, the report highlights the fact that nearly 3,939 bodies were discovered only after a month had passed, and 130 had remained unnoticed for at least a year.

The report further adds the data by age group, showing that the largest number of deaths occurred among those aged 85 and above, with 7,498 bodies found. This was followed by 5,920 deaths among those aged 75-79, and 5,635 deaths among those aged 70-74.

In response to this, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that the police agency will present the data to a government group tasked with investigating unattended deaths. This initiative will help to address the social issue of loneliness and isolation, which has become more serious due to the country’s aging population.

Earlier this year, the Japanese National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projected that the number of elderly citizens living alone could reach 10.8 million by 2050. Additionally, the overall number of single-person households is expected to rise to 23.3 million by the same year.

To handle this decades-long issue, the Japanese government introduced a bill in April aimed at addressing the loneliness and isolation that many of its elderly citizens face. Despite efforts to counteract the challenges of an aging and declining population, the problem continues to grow.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has previously expressed concerns over the declining birth rate, warning that Japan is on the brink of being unable to function effectively as a society. Similar demographic challenges are also emerging in neighboring countries like China, where the population declined for the first time since 1961, and South Korea, which has reported the world’s lowest fertility rate.

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