Kodokushi: the wave of solitary deaths plaguing Japan

In Japan, this phenomenon has become an extremely widespread social problem.

If we think of Japan, probably the first things that come to mind are its mixture of tradition and avant-gardism, its economic and technological power (especially in terms of robotics), the samurai and geisha or even the frequent natural disasters they often have to face.

Focusing more specifically on their way of life, they tend to emphasize the extreme level of personal and social demands of their society, their high labor productivity and the pursuit of honorability both for themselves and for their family and ancestors.

However, few people usually think about the high level of loneliness that a large part of their population has, especially when they reach retirement and old age. This fact has led to the emergence of a sad phenomenon that is becoming more and more frequent: kodokushiwhich we are going to talk about next.

Kodokushi: a death in solitude

It is understood as kodokushi or solitary death to a phenomenon that is on the rise in Japan, to the point of becoming a social problem..

It is, as the translation of the term indicates, the process by which a large number of people die in absolute solitude in their homes, their death being unknown for a while and usually being found days or weeks later due to the odors of decomposition.

Generally this phenomenon is observed in people from forty-five to fifty years of age, especially in the case of men.

In many cases they do not have close friendships and have not formed a family (many of them are single), or although they still have family ties, they did not see each other frequently or on a daily basis. They are usually people who are alone in the last moments of their lives, generally elderly.generally elderly.

However, cases have also been observed in young people who are unable to make ends meet, as well as in people who suffer from a mental disability or are in a situation of dependency or serious illnesses in people who live alone and have no contact or social support network. In some cases, not only one person dies but several people who lived together, such as couples or mothers and children. In the latter cases we would be talking more about koritsushi..

The specific causes of death vary greatly in each case, although it is common to find cases of cerebrovascular accidents, Heart attacks, starvation or lack of nutrients or consequences of addictions, including cirrhosis derived from alcoholism (often used to alleviate the feeling of loneliness).

Causes of lonely death

Kodokushi or lonely death has no single cause, being a multi-causal phenomenon, but it is generally considered that its high prevalence is mainly due to the difficulties that can be caused by the combination of a demanding and professionally-focused lifestyle, cultural factors and the progressive aging of the and the progressive aging of the population.

Going into greater detail, one of its main causes and at the same time one of its defining elements is loneliness: the high level of professional demands and the constant search for excellence cause a large part of the Japanese population to put aside aspects as important as social relations and personal life, leaving a significant proportion of people single (in fact, in some sectors around a quarter of the population over fifty) and with little social contact.

It is often said that part of the blame for the situation is that they have hardly any time to do so, beyond the work contacts that end after retirement. In fact, despite the high population level in a relatively small territory and the traditional view that the elderly live together with their children and grandchildren, Japan is one of the loneliest countries in the world..

Part of the cause is also due to the fact that society's demand for excellence, which is extremely focused on economic growth and productivity, generates high levels of stress that end up generating apathy and a lack of desire to interact and be active.

All this also has repercussions at the demographic level: there are fewer and fewer births, so the population is aging as time goes by.

In many cases, once retired (or in the case of young people, after economic hardship due to their inability to find work), people lose more and more resources, to the point where they can become economically precarious and go hungry. In fact, one of the causes of death is starvation. In some cases, they also suffer from dementia or some kind of dependency, as mentioned above.as mentioned above.

Finally, despite the fact that many such elderly people die after a period of loneliness and a state that would make them need and even depend on the help of others, loneliness, shame and the thought of not wanting to be a burden make many not dare to ask for help even when they need it, often pretending to be well in their last moments.

An increasingly common type of death

The first known cases of kodokushi first appeared in the 1980s, and since then the phenomenon has steadily increased over the years.

While it may be thought that this is a phenomenon that in fact occurs all over the world (and in fact it unfortunately is, with cases of people being found days or weeks after their death after neighbors reported the presence of odors), in Japan this phenomenon is extremely frequent: in 2008 alone in the city of Tokyo more than two thousand people were found dead in absolute solitude. in the city of Tokyo alone, more than two thousand people were found dead in absolute solitude..

In fact, it is estimated that about 4 to 5% of funerals in Japan are linked to this type of death. And it doesn't stop: more and more people are passing away forgotten, with no ties to their surroundings and no one noticing their absence.

This is so common that there are even companies specialized in cleaning the homes of these people, in order to remove both the belongings and the stains left by the effluvia of the bodies on the surfaces of the buildings (remember that many have been decomposing for weeks and even months).

The need for preventive measures in Japan

The phenomenon has reached such a level (and not only in Japan, being something more and more frequent all over the world), that it has become necessary to start putting preventive measures in place.. In Japan, for example, the government is working with the electricity and water companies to try to detect sudden cessation of use of these supplies that could be linked to a case.

Educational policies and the promotion of more pro-social and community values could also be helpful, as well as the search for strengthening family ties and socio-community integration through activities, devices and events.

It is also essential to poverty and the lack of minimum resources are also essential.It is also essential to tackle poverty and the lack of minimum resources, as part of the deaths resulting from starvation, and the creation of institutions where people can socialize and carry out activities beyond work.

Initiatives such as those seen today in some countries, in which volunteers go to the homes of lonely elderly people, can also help them to feel more accompanied and favor their socialization.