Japan Local Govts Support “Shukatsu” End-of-Life Preparations

Tokyo, May 9 (Jiji Press)--Local governments in Japan are moving to support “shukatsu” activities, or preparations for death, by elderly people with no relatives, so they can end their lives free of worry.

In such services, officials ask elderly people about their wishes regarding plans for funerals and cleaning up their belongings.

The move comes as the number of single elderly people is increasing in the country. According to a survey on living conditions conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of single-person households with members aged 65 or older came to 8.73 million in 2022, more than double the figure in 2001.

The number of such households are expected to increase further as more people remain single.

The city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, pioneered a shukatsu support service in 2015. City officials ask low-income, single elderly residents with no relatives questions such as where to place their cremated remains.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]