TOKYO - The number of elderly people in Japan with no relatives to rely on is projected to rise to 4.48 million by 2050, or roughly one in nine seniors, prompting the government to create a new system under revised social welfare laws to support people with daily needs, hospitalization and arrangements after death.
At a funeral held in Osaka, there were no mourners. The deceased was one of a growing number of elderly people without family members or relatives able to take responsibility for their affairs.
At one facility where bodies are kept before funerals, six people were being held while funerals had just been conducted for two others. All eight were elderly people without relatives to rely on.
According to research by the Japan Research Institute, an estimated 2.86 million elderly people had no relatives within the third degree of kinship in 2024. That figure is projected to rise to 4.48 million in 2050, meaning about one in every nine elderly people could have no close relatives.
When there are no relatives to pay for a funeral and the deceased has left insufficient assets, the local government generally bears the cost. Funeral operators submit documentation showing that the funeral was carried out together with a bill to the municipality.
One funeral operator said people should be treated with dignity regardless of whether anyone attends their funeral, with bodies properly prepared before they are sent off.
Against this background, the Diet in June 2026 enacted revisions to the Social Welfare Act and related legislation aimed at strengthening assistance for elderly people without relatives.
Under the revised law, organizations including social welfare councils, which already conduct welfare checks on elderly people and people with disabilities, will also provide support with daily life and procedures following death.
Assistance is expected to be offered free of charge or at low cost to people with limited financial resources. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is aiming to have the new system operating by June 2028.
Such services are already being offered by private companies.
Akari Hosho, an Osaka-based company providing assistance to elderly people without family support, employs staff with qualifications including lawyers and care managers.
On one visit, a company care manager went to the home of an 83-year-old man living alone in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture.
One of the first tasks was confirming his wishes in case he becomes unable to communicate or make decisions for himself.
The care manager reviewed whether he wanted measures such as cardiac resuscitation or an artificial respirator used to prolong his life. The man had previously indicated that he did not want such measures and wanted to spend the end of his life at home.
By recording such wishes in advance, the company can provide support that might traditionally have been handled by relatives.
Its services also include accompanying clients to financial institutions to help manage their money, assisting with shopping and carrying heavy items. During the visit, staff accompanied the man to a supermarket and helped him carry large two-liter beverage containers and other groceries that would be difficult for someone over 80 to manage alone.
A company representative said the number of people asking private providers to help ensure they can spend their final years and die according to their own wishes is visibly increasing.
The 83-year-old man once lived with his wife and two sons as a family of four. His wife later died, and after his relationships with his sons deteriorated, he had been out of contact with them for about 20 years.
Although he continues to enjoy hobbies including karaoke, he said he began worrying about his future after turning 75 because he had no family members he could depend on.
"When I passed 75, I started wondering what I would do if something happened to me," he said.
He eventually found a company that would handle matters after his death, including clearing his home and making arrangements involving his grave.
"If they take care of everything even after I die, then I don't have to worry about what comes afterward," he said. "Without this, I might still be worrying."
While welcoming the legal reforms, the head of Akari Hosho warned that shortages of people able to provide such assistance remain a major challenge.
Private providers offering these services are more common in major metropolitan areas, but many rural communities still depend heavily on informal mutual support among local residents.
The revised law calls on social welfare councils to play a larger role, but public and nonprofit organizations themselves face staffing shortages.
The company said cooperation between government, private businesses and local communities will be essential if the system is to meet growing demand.
Under the planned framework, social welfare councils and other nonprofit organizations will help with matters that have traditionally been handled by families, including everyday living assistance, procedures required when a person is hospitalized, funeral arrangements and the handling of remains after death.
The system is designed particularly to ensure that people with limited financial resources can obtain such assistance either free of charge or for a small fee.
A survey asking people whom they would want to support them at the end of their lives found that more than half chose family members or relatives, while many others said they would consider relying on private companies or public organizations.
The increase in elderly people without relatives reflects demographic and social changes, including more people remaining unmarried and a growing number reaching old age without spouses or children.
Having relatives, however, does not necessarily guarantee stronger support.
Research involving elderly people in the United States has suggested that unmarried people can build extensive networks of relationships outside their families over many years and may experience little difference from married people in medical treatment and personal care before death.
The findings suggest that the important factor may be whether people have developed relationships and social connections they can rely on when difficulties arise.
As Japan prepares for millions more elderly people to face old age without close relatives, the revised welfare system is intended to shift some responsibility for life's final stages from individual families to society as a whole.
Source: TBS
