Japanese man hides father's body for two; the reason will shock you
PTC News Desk: Japanese authorities have uncovered that 56-year-old restaurant owner Nobuhiko Suzuki hid his deceased father's body in a wardrobe for two years to avoid the high cost of a funeral. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Suzuki concealed the body after his 86-year-old father died in January 2023.
After Suzuki’s Chinese restaurant in Tokyo remained closed for a week, concerned neighbors alerted the police, Fuji News Network reported. When officers visited Suzuki’s home for a welfare check, they found his father's skeletal remains hidden inside a wardrobe.
Suzuki admitted to the concealment, explaining his financial struggle: "The funeral was expensive." While the circumstances surrounding his father’s death remain unclear, Suzuki claimed he found his father lifeless upon returning home that day.
Police stated that Suzuki initially experienced guilt over his actions but eventually felt a sense of relief, believing his father had been the source of his hardships. Suzuki has since been arrested, and authorities are now probing him for suspected pension fraud.
FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS BEHIND HIS ACTIONS
A survey conducted by San Holdings Inc. found that the average funeral cost in Japan is around 1.3 million yen (approximately US$8,900), a drop of 156,000 yen since the Covid-19 pandemic as more people opt for simpler ceremonies. Over 60% of participants expected funeral expenses to stay below 1 million yen.
NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT
According to SCMP, similar cases have occurred in Japan. In one instance from 2023, a 56-year-old unemployed man kept his deceased 72-year-old mother's body at home for three years (2019–2022) to avoid funeral costs and continued drawing her pension, totaling 2 million yen.
- PTC NEWS
