TOKYO - Nearly 90% of people are considering "perpetual memorial services," entrusting the management and memorialization of remains to temples or cemeteries, due to reasons such as the absence of someone to inherit graves.
A survey on graves conducted by Hasegawa, a leading company in the sale of altars and tombstones, revealed that 88.3% of respondents are considering the purchase of perpetual memorial services, such as tree burials.
Over the past five years, traditional graves where remains are interred in tombstones accounted for 49.0% of purchases, while perpetual memorial services made up 49.7%.
Grave closures, where tombstones are removed due to a lack of successors or a desire not to burden children, have been on the rise, driven by the backdrop of a declining birthrate.
Among perpetual memorial services, tree burials, which do not require management, are particularly in high demand as a new option for interring remains.
Masako Kimoto, who purchased a tree burial, remarked: "It's about 500,000 yen cheaper compared to a traditional grave. There's no management fee, so I thought it was good because it wouldn't inconvenience my children."
Shigeju Iida, chief priest of Nanrinzan Fumonin Rengeji Temple, commented: "We've moved from an era where children cared for their parents to one where parents care for their children. I believe we've entered a time when parents strongly feel that they don't want to place a financial burden on their children."
Source: ANN
