Almost 40.000 single people died in their homes in Japan during the first half of 2024, according to a police report from that Asian country.
Of this number, almost 4.000 people were found more than a month after they died, while 130 bodies were discovered a year after death, according to the National Police Agency.
Japan currently has the oldest population in the world, according to the United Nations.
The agency hopes its report will draw attention to the country's growing problem with the huge number of elderly people living and dying alone.
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Data from the National Police Agency from the first half of 2024 show that a total of 37.227 people who live alone died at home, of which more than 70 percent were over 65 years old.
While about 40 percent of single people who died at home were found within a day, a police report showed that nearly 3.939 bodies were discovered more than a month after death, and 130 had lain unnoticed for at least a year before being found.
The largest number of bodies found - 7.498 - were older than 85 years, followed by the age group of 75 to 79 years - 5.920.
People aged between 70 and 74 accounted for 5.635 of the deceased.
According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, the police agency will submit the findings to a government group dealing with unattended deaths.
Earlier this year, Japan's National Institute for Population and Social Security Research said the number of seniors (aged 65 and over) living alone is expected to reach 10,8 million by 2050.
It is estimated that the total number of single-member households will reach 23,3 million by that year.
In April, the Japanese government unveiled a bill to address the decades-long problem of loneliness and isolation facing Japan, caused in part by an aging population.
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Japan has long been trying to combat an aging and declining population, which is an increasing burden on the country.
Last year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his country was on the brink of being able to function as a society due to a declining birth rate.
Some neighboring countries face similar demographic challenges.
In 2022, China's population declined for the first time since 1961, while South Korea has repeatedly reported the lowest fertility rate in the world.
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