A case of ‘kodokushi’ a.k.a. ‘lonely death’: Man found dead under pile of erotic mags

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In a family-centric society, dying alone is one of the least desired way to go. One man from Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan had the misfortune of passing away alone and under a pile of erotic magazines.

This 50-year-old man, referred to as “Joji”, was discovered in his two-bedroom apartment a month after his death, covered in approximately six metric tons of erotic magazines, reports RocketNews24.

A “Nikkan Spa!” interview with a Mr. Takada describes this incident as one of the many increasing “lonely deaths” or kodokushi happening around Japan. Takada works for Mind, a company that specializes in cleaning homes of the deceased and discretely disposing of any embarrassing items without informing the family.

These kodokushi incidents involve people who die alone and are often not discovered until long after their passing. Incidents of kodokushi have tripled in Japan since the past decade.

As for Joji, it was discovered that he had suffered a heart attack and collapsed while being partially buried by his collection. The delay in the discovery of his body was attributed to the tons of paper material soaking up the corpse’s bodily fluids. These bodily fluids formed from decay would often alert other people, as the fluids would seep into the floor and drip down the room below. Takada notes that these leaking fluids are the common tell-tale signs of kodokushi.

It is difficult to say how such lonely deaths can be avoided but it would appear that having a healthy social life outside hobbies and personal pursuits could prove beneficial. Alfred Bayle/JB