Kodokushi (孤独死) or lonely death is a Japanese phenomenon of people dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time.
[9] During the first half of 2024, the National Police Agency reported that 37,227 individuals living alone were found dead at home, with 70% of these being aged 65 and above, and nearly 4,000 bodies discovered more than a month after death, including 130 that remained unnoticed for at least a year.
[7] Elderly people who live alone are more likely to lack social contacts with family and neighbors, and are therefore more likely to die alone and remain undiscovered.
[1] Several hundred years ago, Japanese people commonly confronted death; for example, bodies were typically buried by family members.
[11] Scholars have also analyzed how "contemporary discourse constructs kodokushi as a "bad death" and as evidence for the decay of traditional social bonds, such as family, neighborhood and company ties," with government and community initiatives thereby pushing "to implement new welfare systems, often suggesting to re-activate lost family and community bonds".
Officials in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward have started a kodokushi awareness campaign that includes scheduled social events and checking in on the well-being of elderly citizens.
[1] Miyu Kojima, an artist from Japan, creates miniature dioramas of the rooms where kodokushi victims were found.