Lonely Deaths Hit Younger Generation Hard: Why Are We Seeing a Surge in Tragic Outcomes
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The incidents of “lonely deaths” are increasingly affecting the younger generation in their thirties in Japan. It used to be incidents that were primarily associated with older people.
Sankei Shimbun reported that 742 individuals aged 10 to 30 died from lonely deaths in the 23 districts of central Tokyo between 2018 and 2020. The data was gathered from the Tokyo Medical Examiner’s Office.
Although there is no legal definition for lonely death, if a person living alone dies from an unknown cause or through suicide, it is considered a lonely death.
When analyzing lonely death cases by age group—15 to 19, 20 to 29, and 30 to 39—researchers found that the numbers correlated with age. From 2018 to 2020, the number of lonely deaths increased from 228 to 242 to 272 each year. Almost 41% of the total lonely deaths were found more than four days after the time of death.
Sankei reported, “The reality is that lonely deaths are spreading among the younger generation,” pointing out that social disconnection leading to a loss of societal skills and motivation—termed “self-neglect”—are key factors to such tragedy.
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