Japan's Elderly Living Alone Doubles in 20 Years... Rapid Growth of Services for Ownerless Pets

Significant Increase in Care Services... Support for Animal Management Relative to Deaths
Ethical Lapses in Funeral and Service Companies... Government Moves to Establish Countermeasures

The number of elderly people living alone in Japan has more than doubled in 20 years. As a result, the issue of pets being neglected after the death of their elderly owners has increased, leading to significant growth in related care service sectors, such as nonprofit organizations that can care for pets owned by elderly people living alone.

Although the number of comprehensive care service providers targeting elderly people living alone is rapidly increasing, concerns have also been raised about moral hazards among these service providers regarding identity guarantees during hospital admissions, funerals, and inheritance. There are calls to strengthen oversight of these providers.

On the 4th, the Asahi Shimbun reported that the number of single-person households aged 65 and older in Japan rose from 3.03 million in 2000 to 6.72 million in 2020, more than doubling in 20 years. In Toshima Ward, Tokyo, 35.6% of households are elderly single-person households, ranking first nationwide. In some local governments, elderly single-person households exceed 30% of all households.

Accordingly, in recent years, the number of care service organizations, including civic groups and nonprofits specializing in elderly welfare, has greatly increased in Japan. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) introduced the nonprofit organization ‘C.O.N’ in Hyogo Prefecture, which manages animals in case elderly single-person households with pets pass away first. Through the ‘Elderly and Pets Peace of Mind Project,’ they support pet-related activities for single-person elderly households.

This organization encourages elderly single-person households with pets to attach refrigerator magnets listing emergency contact information in preparation for their death. They also create a checklist specifically for single-person households to identify the types of pets and prearrange places to entrust the animals if the owner passes away first.

Additionally, they regularly visit homes where the owner has died to care for the pets and actively provide pet food support to elderly people living alone who cannot properly care for their pets due to financial difficulties.

They told Nikkei, "Most elderly single-person households worry about the animals that will be left alone after their death or hesitate to keep pets due to economic reasons, despite feeling lonely. In an aging society, it is time to consider building a safety net where both people and pets can be happy."

As care service organizations and providers increase, moral hazard issues among these providers have also been raised. Since the end of last month, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has begun investigating cases of abuse by private services claiming to be legal representatives, such as refusing to refund deposits because the elderly are involved. Some providers have been reported to fail to properly deliver services to elderly people living alone without legal guardians or cohabitants, or to conceal some assets after death, prompting a comprehensive review. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is also surveying service satisfaction in the field through local governments that have agreements with private elderly support businesses.

Asahi reported on the government’s response, stating, "Even if private services are contracted, there are many challenges, such as elderly people losing decision-making ability after the contract and being unable to verify related tasks, or elderly people living alone who cannot use private services due to economic reasons." A government official told Asahi, "This issue will become a major topic that the government must address going forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.