Keeping a Body on Hold, vol.48: Preparing for End-of-Life in a 100-Year Life Era

Japan is experiencing a rise in deaths that has led to crowded crematoriums, especially in summer and winter, with waits of five days to a week for cremation not uncommon. During those waits, bodies are stored in refrigerated facilities to preserve them, and families use the time to make funeral and administrative arrangements. Under Japanese practice, cremation normally does not occur until 24 hours after death has passed, and longer waits are increasingly a logistical reality.