Increasing number of young people dying alone 742 confirmed cases in Tokyo’s 23 wards over three years， over 40％ of cases discovered more than four days after death
A total of 742 young people (in their teens to 30s) who died alone at home without anyone by their side were confirmed in Tokyo’s 23 wards over the three years from 2018 to 2020, and about 40% of them took more than four days to be discovered after death, according to an interview with the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner’s Office on the 21st. This highlights the fact that the risk of dying alone is spreading not only to elderly people living alone, but also to young people.
There is no legal definition of “lonely death,” and it differs depending on the administration and municipality, but the Medical Examiner’s Office defines it as “a person who lives alone and dies at home from an unnatural death such as suicide or an unknown cause of death.”
A total of 1,145 young people in their teens to 30s who died unnaturally while living alone were handled by the Medical Examiner’s Office over the three years up to 2020. Of these, 64.8% (742 people) died alone at home, excluding the workplace or the street.
Looking at the 742 victims by age group, the largest group was the 30-39 age group, with 402 victims. This was followed by the 20-29 age group (325 victims) and the 15-19 age group (15 victims). There were no victims under 15 years old. It was also found that the number of victims in their 20s and 30s is increasing year by year.
Regarding the number of days between death and discovery, the largest group was 2-3 days, with 248 victims, followed by 0-1 day with 189 victims. However, 127 victims died 4-7 days, and 114 victims died 8-30 days. There were also 64 victims who died 31 days or more, making a total of 305 victims who died 4 days or more, accounting for over 40% of the total.
Although elderly people are becoming a social problem when it comes to lonely deaths, the statistics from the Medical Examiner’s Office revealed this time that the problem is worsening, with young people also not being discovered for long periods of time. The Medical Examiner’s Office does not keep statistics on the causes of lonely deaths, but most of the 742 deaths are believed to have been suicides.
The increase in lonely deaths among young people is said to be due to young people who have cut off contact and ties with society, losing the ability and motivation to live, and falling into “self-neglect,” and the government and other organizations are urgently calling for action.
>>1 If you find a body at this time of year, it’s likely that the heat will have caused it to rot, but is there a difference between a young person and an old person when it comes to rotting bodies?
>>13 The rental contract should be bundled with a monitoring service. The agent should check for replies by email or LINE every day. Or they can just call. It’s simple.
>>17 There are cases of sudden deaths among young people, and many of them are caused by myocardial infarction or heart failure. Even autopsies don’t reveal anything. No matter how healthy and disciplined you are, your heart can stop suddenly.
>>28 No. It’s the fault of stupid parties like the Minsu Party, the Communist Party, and the Reiwa Shinsengumi, who are disrupting the progress of the Diet and interrupting deliberations one after another.
Surely, teenagers should have a family problem. Do you want to live in a country where government officials have to step into your home and enforce your views?
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