Over 10,000 Isolated Deaths Discovered After 8 Days
Rising Elderly Single-Person Households Deepen Social Isolation
During the first half of this year, the number of "isolated deaths" of people living alone in Japan increased by about 12% compared to the same period last year.
According to reports from local media such as the Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News on the 31st, data from the National Police Agency of Japan showed that there were a total of 40,913 cases of people dying alone at home in the first half of this year, an increase of 3,686 cases from the previous year. Of these, 11,669 cases were classified as isolated deaths, where the deceased was not discovered until more than eight days after death, marking an increase of 1,233 cases (11.8%) compared to the previous year.
This year, the number of cases of "isolated deaths" of people living alone in Japan during the first half of the year increased by about 12% compared to the same period last year. (Photo for illustrative purposes only and unrelated to the article content) Pixabay
This is the first time the Japanese government has compiled separate statistics on isolated deaths, which began last year. At that time, the annual number of isolated deaths reached 21,856. This figure is nearly six times higher than South Korea’s lonely death statistics from last year (about 3,661 cases). The main causes cited include the aging population structure and the increase in single-person households.
By age group, those aged 60 and over accounted for 82.1% of all cases, with particularly high numbers among people in their 70s and 60s. By gender, men made up 17,364 cases, or 79.4%. In terms of the time of discovery, 253 cases were not found until more than a year after death, and in 6,945 cases, the deceased was discovered more than a month later.
The worsening situation of elderly people living alone is attributed to the weakening of family-based communities and the collapse of local social networks. As of 2022, 31.8% of Japanese people aged 65 or older were living alone, a figure similar to that of elderly couples living together (32.1%).
The high proportion of elderly people living alone in Japan is due to the increasing number of people who remain unmarried. In 2020, the unmarried rate among those aged 65 or older was 33.5% for men and 23.9% for women. This is two to three times higher than in 2010, when the rates were 11.8% for men and 12.2% for women.
The Japanese government is introducing various policies as part of a national response to prevent isolated deaths. These include operating AI-based systems to detect high-risk individuals, launching community projects to connect younger and older generations, and expanding local government-level care networks.
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