In September, Japan faced a reality. It was publicly known that the country had a problem with population aging, and little data could dramatize the drama the government revealed with its first count of “lonely deaths” of the year. : 28,330 elderly people, of whom in 4,913 cases it took police two or more weeks to recognize the death. If this information is terrible, there is something much worse.

“Notable Kill.” Japan’s crisis of “care killings,” in which exhausted relatives end the lives of loved ones they care for, has intensified in recent years and has been made worse by forced isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. According to a study by Professor Etsuko Yuhara, a social welfare expert at Nihon Fukushi University, 443 deaths were recorded in 437 cases of murder or suicide due to caregiver fatigue between 2011 and 2021.

In other words, every eight days in Japan an older adult was killed by a family member who was babysitting them. The investigation also found that perpetrators were often spouses (214 cases) or adult children (206 cases), while the remainder involved other family members such as grandchildren or siblings.

Factors behind the crisis. The media cite the emotional, physical, and economic burden of caring for a sick loved one, especially in isolation, as one of the main causes of these tragedies. Often caregivers are older people who are faced with their own wear and tear and are stuck in situations where they see no hope for the future.

Lack of outside support and pre-existing family problems further fuel despair, leading some to make extreme decisions such as murder and then suicide.

Recent cases. As we said, the pandemic has worsened the problem by cutting off social support networks and further straining the Japanese healthcare system. The case of 86-year-old Haruo Yoshida, who strangled his sick 81-year-old wife, reflects how extreme fatigue can push caregivers to their limits. In another incident, an 83-year-old couple was found dead in Osaka: The husband had killed his wife and then sent her a message announcing his suicide before taking his own life. Or the case of Fujiwara Hiroshi, who pushed his paralyzed wife into the sea after caring for her for over 40 years

Desperation has also revived practices similar to “ubasute,” an ancient tradition in which elderly people are abandoned in the mountains. A recent example is Ichiaki Matsuda, who left his 86-year-old mother at the park due to the stress of caring for her. The woman died from exposure to cold.

In the background is a worsening problem: As the Japanese population ages, more than 5.5 million Japanese require care, and almost 30% of caregivers are over 70 years old. The routine of caring for a sick loved one, combined with strenuous physical and emotional tasks, pushes many people to this unimaginable limit.

Documentary. The problem has even spread to television. A documentary on the NHK network, for example, told the story of Shigeru, who cared for his wife Sachiko after she suffered paralysis. The daily burden of waking up at 4 a.m., cleaning, feeding, and caring for his wife was emotionally draining. When the woman repeatedly asked him to “end her pain”, Shigeru overwhelmed her with despair and guilt.

There is more. The production also recalls the shocking story of Ryuichi, who had to quit his job to care for his mother with dementia. Poverty combined with physical and mental exhaustion caused her mother to end her life and attempt suicide. Cases and more cases reflecting how caregivers, caught between cultural responsibility and lack of resources, make extreme decisions when they feel there is no other way out.

What does the government say? Although the Japanese government has implemented policies and insurance systems for long-term care, these efforts do not appear to be sufficient to meet the increasing demands of an aging society. Care facilities are not affordable for many families due to their high costs (often exceeding 100,000 yen), forcing family members to take on caregiving roles without adequate training.

The situation has also been exacerbated by a shortage of professional staff in the care sector, which has been attributed to low wages and the stigma of the profession. Experts like Yuhara call for improving working conditions and opening doors to foreign workers if necessary to meet growing demand.

Cultural influence. Understanding the drama is the other leg. In Japanese culture, as in many Asian cultures, caring for elderly parents is seen as an unavoidable moral duty. But this cultural expectation, combined with social isolation and lack of professional support, leaves caregivers trapped in this cycle of physical and emotional exhaustion. This loneliness has become even more intense during the pandemic, leaving many without the ability to seek help or share their difficulties.

Here, long-term care not only physically drains caregivers but also isolates them socially. Cutting off from the outside world, combined with possible depression and verbal or physical abuse by patients, turns care into a kind of emotional prison. In fact, it is estimated that almost 20% of these Japanese caregivers suffer from depression, which is exacerbated by the cultural belief that caring for the elderly is an indispensable duty.

There is no apparent solution. The phenomenon of “care killings” therefore reflects the extent of the structural and cultural crisis in Japan, where rapid population aging, social isolation and lack of professional support are pushing caregivers to their limits.

Although the administration has taken precautions against the problem, it is undoubtedly insufficient, considering the magnitude of the crisis. Unless long-term solutions are implemented, such as improving working conditions and/or greater integration of foreign workers (which is already happening in some sectors), all these tragedies will continue to escalate and affect both families and the Japanese social fabric.

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