Nearly 500 Elderly Killed By Family Caregivers In Japan In Fy 2006-2024

OSAKA, April 5 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- A recent analysis of a government report in Japan showed that nearly 500 people aged 65 and older died between fiscal 2006 and 2024 as a result of murder or abuse by family members or relatives who had been caring for them, Kyodo News reported. 

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of elderly-only households has exceeded 17 million, and cases in which both the caregiver and care recipient are elderly are increasing.

Some cases were linked to caregiver exhaustion and isolation due to a lack of opportunities to seek help.

An expert pointed out that the 486 deaths cited are just "the tip of the iceberg and strengthening support is urgently needed.

According to the ministry, of those deaths, 142 were men, and 344 were women, with 220 cases involving murder, murder-suicide and attempted murder-suicide committed by relatives, in which only the elderly person died.

Of the cases, 132 were due to neglect, 69 were due to abuse, and 65 were categorised as "other," including cases with unknown causes.

Although annual deaths generally remained in the 20s, they rose into the 30s in some years, reaching 37 in fiscal 2021. The lowest figure was 15 in fiscal 2019.

Excluding the three years from fiscal 2006, when age breakdowns were not published, the most common age group was 80 to 84, with 105 cases, while the least common was 65 to 69, at 27 cases.

Of the 483 perpetrators, 343 were men, and 140 were women.

The most common relationship to the victim was son, accounting for 219 cases, followed by husband, accounting for 98 cases. 

Reported causes of the murders and other incidents included financial hardship and caregiver exhaustion.

For surveys from fiscal 2009 that asked about the use of long-term care insurance services, such as home-visit care, about 43 per cent were receiving such services, while about 54 per cent were not receiving services at the time the incident occurred.

The survey, conducted annually since fiscal 2006, compiles the number of cases based on consultations reported to municipalities nationwide and all 47 prefectures during each fiscal year.

Kyodo News analysed 19 years of data through fiscal 2024. Cases of abuse by staff at care facilities were excluded.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO