TOKYO (The Japan Times), May 27, 2008:
A recent study by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS) found that in 2006, for the first time, one-person households were the most common living arrangement in Japan, outnumbering couples with children.
In 1980, one-person households were just 20 percent of the total in Japan, but this figure rose to 30 percent in 2006 and is expected to pass 37 percent in 2030, according to IPSS predictions. The trend is set to continue, says Toru Suzuki, a researcher at IPSS, as the population ages and birthrates remain low.
For now, most of those living solo are young and single, with under-40s making up 42 percent of such households. Suzuki points to changes in family life such as the decline in marriage and fertility rates, increasing divorce rates, and more unmarried people living alone in urban areas as key reasons for this shift.
He says the increasing wealth and health of the elderly, as well as a shift from traditional household arrangements — such as three-generations of a family living in the same house — are also contributing factors.
"Spreading urban lifestyles may also make living alone easier," Suzuki says. "There could be an increase in the preference to live alone among currently unmarried people."
The situation is most striking in Tokyo, where almost 43 percent of households contain just one person, according to the 2005 national census. Elsewhere in Japan, such homes are just 17 percent of the total.
Clinical psychologist Akiko Oshima says some people living alone experience loneliness and isolation, especially if they grew up in a tightly-knit or small family. But for many others, the experience can be positive, giving them a sense of freedom and self-reliance.
"The widespread use of e-mail and blogs and portable phones has given them the means to connect, not only among their friends but also with strangers," Oshima says. "Compared to older generations, they may write fewer letters but call one another more frequently — often several times a day."
City of strangers: A recent study found that in 2006, for the first time, one- person households were the most common living arrangement in Japan. In a January 2008 Goo Research survey of 1,017 single people who live alone, 47 percent said they would not even recognize the faces of their neighbors. Whether based on real or perceived dangers, it seems fear of crime is driving some to isolate themselves, a common hazard in many urban communities.
Not-so-friendly neighbors?
Despite these fears, only 22 percent of respondents to the Goo Research survey said they had been a victim of crime while living alone. Stalking was the most common crime at nearly 28 percent. Still, the second annual Global Peace Index, released last week, ranked Japan as the world's fifth most peaceful nation — a measure that includes societal safety and security.
Based on report by Justine Parker
(C)The Japan Times
