Local governments in Japan are working to support the end-of-life preparations of elderly people without family members, asking about their wishes for funerals and clearing out their belongings to ease their worries during their final days.
This move comes as the number of single elderly people in the country is increasing. According to a survey of living conditions by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of single-person households with members aged 65 or over reached 8.73 million in 2022, more than double the figure in 2001.
The number of these households is expected to increase further as more people remain single.
