Japan to Conduct First Survey on Unclaimed Bodies

From Jiji

June 8 2024

TOKYO – The welfare ministry plans to begin as early as summer Japan’s first fact-finding survey of municipalities’ responses to unclaimed bodies and remains. 

Elderly people living alone are increasing across the country. Against the backdrop, municipalities often struggle to find relatives of people who died alone. There are also cases in which bereaved relatives refuse to receive the bodies of such people.

The ministry will conduct hearings with municipalities and experts, aiming to identify key issues and create a list of model cases.

In Japan, the proportion of elderly people living alone among the overall elderly people aged 65 or over came to 22.1 pct for women and 15.0 pct for men, according to the Cabinet Office’s 2023 white paper on the aging society.

The share is forecast to rise to 24.5 pct for women and 20.8 pct for men in 2040, around which the country’s elderly population is seen peaking. The year’s population of such people is forecast at 8.96 million.