RISING cases of Kodokushi or lonely deaths in Japan is fast becoming a thriving industry as clean-up crews devote their time cleaning up after Japanese people who die alone.
Most of them are the elderly who took their last breath unnoticed and without any companion.
Japan’s National Police Agency said that the number of people expected to die alone will rise to 68,000 every year if the current trend continues.
A total of 21,716 people in Japan died alone at home for the first three months of 2024.
Of this number, 80% were aged 65 or older, and include suicides.
As Japan grapples with the reality of an aging population, growing concerns for people who live and grow old alone are also gaining attention from the government.
In Japan, a solitary death is defined as the death of a person who has not been cared for by anyone, and the body was found after a certain period has passed.
Japan currently holds the title for having the largest elderly population in the world, with 28.2% of its population or around 36.23 million people aged 65 years old or older.
