A man in his 70s who held a funeral for a relative at Yotsugi Funeral Hall (Katsushika Ward, Tokyo) late last year was shocked when he saw the details of the funeral. [Graphic] Cremation fees vary by region across the country, but Tokyo’s 23 wards stand out. (40)/cloudfront-ap-northeast-1.images.arcpublishing.com/sankei/7xxpgjhstrpgvg57mghyy44t4i.jpg 《Top class (star)》. The cremation fee stated was 75,000 yen. Cremation fuel costs also included 12,200 yen, bringing the total to nearly 90,000 yen. In addition, the crematorium’s “rest room usage fee” was 31,000 yen. There are nine crematoriums in Tokyo’s 23 wards, of which only two are publicly run. The remaining seven are privately run, with six run by Tokyo Hakuzen. Yotsugi Funeral Hall is one of them. Cremation fees at the public Rinkai Funeral Hall (Ota Ward) are 44,000 yen for local residents, and at Mizue Funeral Hall (Edogawa Ward) they charge 59,600 yen, showing that Tokyo Hakuzen stands out among others. The man sighed and said, “I knew public accommodations were cheaper, but I can’t make a reservation right away.” ■90,000 yen from June Tokyo Hakuzen was founded in 1887, including its predecessor. It has been run and headed by a religious person. In 1968, the national government issued a notice that, in principle, local governments would be the operators of crematoriums, but Tokyo Hakuzen has been allowed to be privatized based on its track record since the Meiji period. However, a turning point came in 1960. The management of the temple left the hands of religious leaders and was handed over to the founder of Kosaido, a company involved in printing and other businesses. Furthermore, in 2019, a relative of the founder sold his shares in Kosaido to Chinese businessman Luo Yiwen, who is known for transforming Laox from a consumer electronics retailer to a duty-free store, resulting in an influx of Chinese capital. In March 2012, Tokyo Hakuzen became a wholly owned subsidiary of Kosaido, and in June of this year, Mr. Luo became the representative director and chairman of Kosaido Holdings (HD). Coinciding with this process of influx of “Chinese capital,” Tokyo Hakuzen has continued to raise cremation fees. In 2013, the cheapest adult fare was raised from 59,000 yen to 75,000 yen. In June 2002, a “special cremation fee in addition to fuel costs” was introduced, which adds an additional fee in line with fluctuations in fuel costs. This system was abolished in June this year, but the amount has now risen to 90,000 yen. Regarding the price increase, a representative from Kosaido Holdings cited rising fuel and labor costs as reasons, explaining that “this is to ensure that we can continue our cremation business in a stable manner into the future, including the costs of maintaining equipment to support a society with a high death rate.” ■ Public and free nationwide There are 1,364 crematoriums nationwide (as of FY2023), 97% of which are run by local governments and other organizations. Cremation fees are generally free or around 10,000 to 20,000 yen, and even within Tokyo, in much of the Tama area, such as Tachikawa city, cremation is free for residents. Regarding Tokyo Hakuzen’s cremation fees, Hamana Masakazu, chairman of the Tokyo Funeral Industry Cooperative, which has about 160 member stores mainly in the 23 wards, says, “It is understandable that private companies will pursue profits, but this is far removed from the spirit of a public service business.” In cases where people with no relatives on welfare are unable to afford the cremation fees, there is a funeral assistance system in which the national and local governments cover the costs, but in other cases, surviving family members must pay in installments, even if they are in financial difficulty. According to the union, there are also cases where no funeral is held and only cremation is performed, or funerals are simplified. In the first place, there are not many opportunities in life to attend a cremation, and many people are not even aware that there are regional differences in cost. As a result, the current situation is that even if you feel the price is high, you have no choice but to pay the asking price. Since August last year, the union has been visiting wards and other areas that are in a position to supervise and guide petitions for the establishment of laws that would allow the government to manage cremation fees and the establishment of new public crematoriums, calling for the fair regulation of cremation fees. Meanwhile, six wards, including Shinjuku, conducted a joint on-site investigation at Tokyo Hakuzen last year to investigate the methods of calculating cremation fees. However, there are no clear national standards for setting cremation fees, and the next step has yet to be decided. And the problem is said to be getting even more serious. (Owatari Misaki) ◇ Although it is not illegal, it is becoming clear that Japan’s assets and culture are being “eroded” by exploiting loopholes in the law and system. We will report on the “scene”. 12/26 (Thu) 19:00 Sankei Shimbun.
The company has been criticized since it was acquired, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has done nothing, which is clearly a failure on the part of the city and the national government.
Furthermore, the cremation method used at the Tokyo Museum is an old type from the Showa era called a roster type, so the bones get mixed up when they are collected. It’s unthinkable in rural areas.
Crematoriums can be built as many times as you want, if there’s no opposition. If there’s no opposition, then it’s all the local residents’ fault that there aren’t enough crematoriums and the fees are too high. Let’s build one through the local community association without opposition.
Even in today’s world where hybrid warfare is the main battlefield, national power and military power are what guarantee our national security. The culprits are our fellow countrymen who are making statements and plotting to suppress them, including the mass media and politicians.
Starting next year, cross-border e-commerce will begin, where bodies will be sent to China for incineration and then returned to Japan in urns. It will be the same as dried fish processed in China, using mackerel from the Sanriku coast.
>>20 It seems that Fukushima already has a project to send remains to Korea. I think they were nominally treated as conscripted laborers. I’m sure some of the remains that became abandoned after the disaster are used for seaweed.
Upon arrival, the body is immediately taken to a row of crematoriums. I wondered if this was a McDonald’s register? There were no partitions between the cashiers, and the monks were shouting “We can’t lose to the one next to us,” and the sutras were chanting in unison, creating chaos.
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