Japan’s reputation for longevity among its citizens is a point of controversy: In 2010, one man, believed to be 111, was found to have died some 30 years before; his body was discovered mummified in his bed. Investigators found at least 234,354 other Japanese centenarians were “missing.”
The number of Japanese centenarians was called into question in 2010, following a series of reports showing that hundreds of thousands of elderly people had gone “missing” in the country. The deaths of many centenarians had not been reported, casting doubt on the country’s reputation for having a large population of centenarians.
In July 2010, Sogen Kato, a centenarian listed as the oldest living male in Tokyo, registered to be aged 111, was found to have died some 30 years before; his body was found mummified in his bed, resulting in a police investigation into centenarians listed over the age of 105. Soon after the discovery, the Japanese Justice Ministry found that at least 234,354 other Japanese centenarians were “missing”, and… Continue Reading (3 minute read)
Share this:
6 thoughts on “Japan’s reputation for longevity among its citizens is a point of controversy: In 2010, one man, believed to be 111, was found to have died some 30 years before; his body was discovered mummified in his bed. Investigators found at least 234,354 other Japanese centenarians were “missing.””
Houndsthehorse
Didn’t someone do a lot of analysis of places with large amounts of very old people and the only link they could find was they all had sub par record keeping
Another fascinating thing is that since there are so many elderly in Japan and many are dying, there is a large number of empty houses for sale for pennies.
Old people dying alone and unnoticed is a serious problem in Japan. Imagine a guy dead for 30 years in Tokyo and nobody even knew about it. If this can happen in the capital, it can happen anywhere and I assume the problem is even worst in smaller cities/rural areas.
Kodokushi (孤独死) or lonely death refers to a Japanese phenomenon of people dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time. Kodokushi has become an increasing problem in Japan, attributed to economic troubles and Japan’s increasingly elderly population.
Didn’t someone do a lot of analysis of places with large amounts of very old people and the only link they could find was they all had sub par record keeping
Another fascinating thing is that since there are so many elderly in Japan and many are dying, there is a large number of empty houses for sale for pennies.
The world’s oldest woman, a Japanese woman, is believed by some to actually be her daughter pretending to be her for decades
Old people dying alone and unnoticed is a serious problem in Japan. Imagine a guy dead for 30 years in Tokyo and nobody even knew about it. If this can happen in the capital, it can happen anywhere and I assume the problem is even worst in smaller cities/rural areas.
Gotta keep collecting that sweet sweet pension.
Kodokushi (孤独死) or lonely death refers to a Japanese phenomenon of people dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time. Kodokushi has become an increasing problem in Japan, attributed to economic troubles and Japan’s increasingly elderly population.