Welfare Ministry Study Finds Only 11.2％ of Local Governments Have Guidelines for Dealing with Unclaimed Bodies

Only 11.2% of local governments have manuals or internal rules in place for dealing with “unclaimed bodies,” which have no one to claim them after death, according to a study by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. As local governments are struggling with the cremation of unclaimed bodies and the storage of their remains, the ministry is considering providing unified procedures in the future, it has been learned.