A 56-year-old man was arrested after keeping his father's body in a wardrobe for two years, allegedly to escape the exorbitant expense of a funeral. The incident has raised eyebrows regarding funeral costs in Japan and ignited arguments about the extremes some will go to avoid financial pressures.

Nobuhiko Suzuki, the man at the center of the case, runs a Chinese restaurant in Tokyo. He was said to have been away from his restaurant for a week, which raised concerns among neighbors who reported him to the authorities. During an investigation, police found his father's skeleton hidden in a wardrobe. Suzuki told the police that his father died in January 2023 at 86. Suzuki informed that he discovered his father's body when he came back home, but decided against reporting the death immediately. Suzuki decided to conceal the body so that he would not have to incur the expenses of a funeral. “I could not afford the funeral expenses,” Suzuki admitted during questioning, referring to the cost of arranging a proper funeral.

Fraud Probe Over Pension Embezzlement

Aside from concealing his father's body, Suzuki is also being investigated for reportedly embezzling his father's pension benefits. Suzuki is suspected to have continued receiving his father's pension payments while the body was hidden for two years. The case has raised more questions about possible pension fraud. Suzuki is said to be guilty of his actions, though he stated that he feels his father was partially at fault for his death. His arrest has attracted mixed reactions from the public, with some showing sympathy towards the financial cost of funeral expenses, while others have condemned his actions as selfish.

Public Debate On Funeral Costs 

The incident has sparked a broader discussion about the high cost of funerals in Japan, with many people sympathizing with Suzuki’s financial struggles. Some online commentators pointed out that funerals in Japan can be expensive, with some families finding themselves overwhelmed by the sudden expenses. One user recounted their own experience, saying, "When my father died, the hospital pressured me to arrange for a funeral home right away. I spent two million yen (14,000 USD). It's confusing losing a family member for the first time." Based on a survey conducted by San Holdings Inc., the cost of a funeral in Japan has slightly reduced to 1.3 million yen (8,900 USD) since the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is still a heavy financial burden for most families.

This is not an isolated case. In 2023, there was a similar case when a 56-year-old unemployed man concealed his mother's body for three years, between 2019 and 2022, and stole around two million yen from her pension funds. The man later admitted in court, explaining the exorbitant funeral costs and his use of his mother's pension as his only means of livelihood.