After a sudden brush with death, a man in his 60s who lives alone in municipal housing in Saitama Prefecture started to seriously consider who will handle his affairs when he dies. 

He opted to contract a third party to tackle all the administrative work after his eventual death out of concern that he would otherwise leave behind a bureaucratic burden for his aging family members.

He is part of a growing trend of unmarried people, and even those with families, turning to agencies to carry out the necessary posthumous administrative procedures--paying off outstanding bills and taxes, canceling contracts, dealing with mounds of paperwork, notifying related parties of their client’s death, and arranging cremations, burials and body donations.

Demand is expected to increase as the population ages and more and more people live alone.

After graduating from university, the man, who did not wish to be named, became a municipal government employee in the prefecture. He works hard and enjoys playing musical instruments in his spare time. He is single and lives alone.

But around age 40, he began worrying about who would make the necessary arrangements after his death. He originally hoped to rely on his brother’s family in a neighboring prefecture in the event of an emergency, since he has a good relationship with them. He said he gave his nephew money as a token of his love, while expecting that the young relative would later take care of him.

But after suffering an aortic dissection around five years ago, he began to feel that his expectations may have been too optimistic.

He nearly died. But he managed to recover enough to be discharged from the hospital.

Growing concerned about his health, the man began planning to move closer to his brother’s home.

“I don’t think it’s the right time for you to do so,” his brother told him.

The response made him realize he was becoming a burden to his brother, who is also growing old. The man knew he could suffer another aortic dissection, which can cause sudden death, at any moment.

Then he came across the Life and Ending Center (LEC).

The Saitama-based nonprofit organization provides services for posthumous planning, such as making funeral arrangements and disposing of household goods.

Under his contract signed in 2019, the LEC will carry out 10 procedures that need to be done following his death, including submitting a notice of his death to administrative authorities, canceling his mobile phone contract and donating his body to a hospital he owes a great deal to.

The man also asked the organization to draw up his will and make sure it is executed so his assets go to his friends.

He paid about 400,000 yen ($3,600) as a basic commission fee for the services and entrusted some 1 million yen to the LEC to cover necessary costs.

“I couldn’t even go out freely because I could die from an aortic dissection and force my relatives to take care of my posthumous arrangements,” the man said. “I’m relieved that I’ve managed to contract out all the arrangements.”

EASING THE BURDEN ON FAMILY

Some 6.38 million people aged 65 or older live alone in Japan as of 2018, a 1.5-fold increase from a decade ago, according to a survey by the internal affairs ministry. Against this backdrop, demand is growing for entrusting third parties with carrying out administrative procedures after death.

The LEC has held study sessions for “shukatsu” (preparing for the end of life) since it was established in 2000, and began offering the posthumous-administration services in 2019.

The organization draws up contracts and wills as legally binding notarized documents. Outside judicial scriveners serve as the beneficiaries’ agents to check if those contracts are carried out.

The man in Saitama Prefecture has already transferred money to a bank account of a trust company to cover the necessary expenses for his contract. The money cannot be withdrawn after his death without consent from a judicial scrivener.

If someone without relatives dies, a local municipality will have their bodies cremated, place their ashes in their graves and shoulder all the costs, according to the LEC.

“Our services can meet the needs of people who want to maintain their dignity even after death without imposing on others,” said Michiko Susai, who heads the LEC. “Clients can live with peace of mind because their concerns have been eased.”

People who have children are also showing an interest in these kinds of services. They want to avoid forcing their children, who live abroad or far from home, to spend long periods of time taking care of complicated administrative procedures after their parents’ deaths.

“Clients were initially limited to people who have no one to depend on, but even those who have relatives and family have begun to use our services,” said Ayumi Sugiyama, who heads Living Support Service System, or LISS System, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization that has offered similar services since 1993.

LISS System has one headquarters and eight branches across the nation and obtained 5,000 contacts for the services so far. The organization said only about 30 people had requested the service and signed contracts in 2000. But the annual figure has continued to rise, hovering around 300 over the past five years or so.