- Convenor:
-
Masafumi Motomura
(Okayama University)
Send message to Convenor
- Format:
- Panel
- Section:
- Anthropology and Sociology
Short Abstract
This panel explores the link between loneliness/isolation and the burden on others (Meiwaku) in aging Japan. Despite fearing imposition on family, 76% of those dying alone at home in 2024 were 65+. We analyze media coverage and historical perceptions of Meiwaku to reveal its evolution.
Long Abstract
This panel examines the relationship between loneliness/social isolation and the notion of being a burden to others (Meiwaku) among older adults in Japan. A 2023 survey found avoiding burdening family is the top priority when considering end-of-life arrangements, reflecting a common concern in Japan’s aging society.
Demographic trends reinforce this issue. The Annual Report on the Aging Society shows a shift from 17.4% single-person households and 30% three-generation households in FY1996 to 31.7% and 7% in FY2025, indicating increasing isolation. Tragically, 76% of individuals who died alone at home in 2024 were aged 65+, highlighting the problem of solitary deaths.
Previous research has treated the notion of being a burden to others and loneliness/social isolation as separate issues. However, studies suggest those averse to being a burden are less likely to seek help (e.g., Ikeuchi, 2022), indicating a connection. This panel investigates the link between loneliness/social isolation and the notion of being a burden to others.
The first presentation analyzes newspaper coverage of elderly loneliness, particularly in the context of socio-economic conditions and social welfare policies in late 20th-century Japan, to reveal evolving patterns in reporting. The second presentation examines the nuances of the notion of being a burden to others focusing on research concerning Self‑Perceived Burden (SPB) to clarify its underlying meanings. The third presentation explores the relationship between living alone and the notion of being a burden to others in historical Japan, utilizing historical sources related to elderly individuals living alone in the early modern period. By integrating these three presentations, the panel aims to illuminate the historical transformation of loneliness/social isolation and the notion of being a burden to others in Japan.
| Abstract in Japanese (if needed) | 本パネルは、日本における高齢者をめぐる問題として、孤独と〈迷惑〉意識に注目し、それらの関連を検討することを目的とする。厚生労働省の調査によれば（2023）、最期を過ごす場所を考える際に重要だと思う項目として「家族等に負担をかけたくない」が一般市民の回答のなかで第一位である。このように、超高齢社会を迎えた日本において、老い・看取り・死について考える際に「家族や子どもに迷惑をかけたくない」と考える人が多い。 また、『高齢社会白書』によれば、1996年刊行時では、６5歳以上の者がいる世帯は単独世帯が17.4%、三世代世帯30％であったのに対し、2025年刊行時には、単独世帯が31.7%、三世代世帯が７％と変化し、高齢者の孤立が顕在化している。さらに、2024年において、自宅で死亡した一人暮らしの人の76％が65歳以上であり、高齢者の孤独死をめぐる問題が顕在化している。 従来の研究では、高齢者の抱く〈迷惑〉意識、孤立や孤独死をめぐる問題は別個に検討されており、その具体的な関連は明らかにされていない。しかし、周囲に負担をかけないという意識が強い人ほど必要は支援を求めないケースが多いという指摘もあり（池内2022）、高齢者の孤独・孤立と〈迷惑〉意識との関係を具体的に検討する必要がある。以上をふまえ、本パネルでは、第1の報告は、新聞報道をもとに高齢者の孤独をめぐる諸相を明らかにする。とくに20世紀後半における日本の社会的状況と社会保障政策とのかかわりを視野に入れて、高齢者の孤独・孤立の報道の様相を検討する。第2の報告は、現代日本の高齢者や患者の〈迷惑〉意識について検討した文献をもとに〈迷惑〉意識の諸相を明らかにする。とくにSPBに関する日本の研究文献を中心に取り上げ、〈迷惑〉意識の意味内容を検討する。第3の報告は、過去の日本における一人で暮らす高齢者と〈迷惑〉意識との関連を検討する。とくに近世日本における一人で暮らす高齢者に関わる史料を用いて、孤独・孤立と〈迷惑〉意識との関連を明らかにする。以上の3つの報告をもとに、過去から現代日本に至る高齢者の孤独と〈迷惑〉意識の歴史的な変遷を明らかにすることを試みる。 |
Accepted papers
Paper short abstract
This presentation examines the historical evolution of Japanese newspaper coverage of loneliness among the elderly during the second half of the twentieth century. It explores how perceptions of loneliness and the roles of the family, the state, and local governments shifted over time.
Paper long abstract
This presentation examines the historical evolution of Japanese newspaper coverage of loneliness among the elderly during the second half of the 20th century. In particular, I examine how Japanese newspaper editorials on the causes of loneliness among the elderly and the role of the family, the state, and local governments changed over time.
In the 1960s, Japan faced the challenges of economic deprivation among the elderly and a lagging welfare system. Although the average life expectancy of the elderly was gradually increasing, the nuclear family was becoming increasingly common, making it difficult for parents and children to live together. The prewar family system was also changing, although it was in a transitional phase due to the postwar revision of the Civil Code. Under these circumstances, alienated elderly parents who had lost their sense of belonging within the household came to no longer want to be taken care of by their children. At the same time, their children increasingly viewed elder care as a burden. As a result, the number of elderly people living alone increased, and the problem of loneliness among the elderly was socially fostered. On the other hand, public opinion developed in such a way that the elderly needed economic stability in order to be independent and not have to be cared for, and that society should create workplaces for the elderly.
Subsequently, the Japanese government strengthened social security for the elderly by introducing social security policies such as the revision of the Pension Law in 1973 and the introduction of a free medical care system for the elderly for those aged 70 and over in 1974. As a result, newspaper editorials shifted from discussing economic measures to deal with the elderly and their purpose in life as a single issue to a focus on how to utilize the elderly as human resources within society. In the 1980s, however, the cost of social security for the elderly became a fiscal issue for the government, and the issue of loneliness among the elderly was again discussed in relation to economic issues.
| Abstract in Japanese (if needed): | 本発表は、20世紀後半における日本の新聞が高齢者の孤独問題をどう報道してきたのか、歴史的変遷を検証する。特に、高齢者の孤独の原因と家族・国家・地方自治体の役割に関する、新聞社説の変化について考察する。1960年代、日本の高齢者の平均寿命は伸びていたものの、核家族化が進み、疎外された「親」は、子供に面倒を見られたくないという意識を持つようになり、高齢者の孤独問題が社会的に醸成された。一方、高齢者が自立するためには経済的安定が必要であり、日本政府は高齢者への社会保障を強化した。その結果、新聞の社説は、社会における高齢者の人材活用をめぐる議論に傾くようなる。しかし、1980年代には、高齢者社会保障の費用が政府の財政問題となり、高齢者の孤独の問題が再び経済問題に関連して議論されるようになった。 |
Paper short abstract
Japanese older adults’ reluctance to “cause trouble” and their self‑perceived burden reflect both concern for others and negative self‑evaluation. This presentation analyzes literature to clarify the diverse meanings behind these sentiments.
Paper long abstract
In Japan, it has frequently been observed that older adults and patients express a desire not to “cause trouble” or “be a burden” to their family members or caregivers. Such feelings are often conceptualized as self‑perceived burden (SPB). Previous studies have pointed out that these sentiments are associated with existential distress and psychological strain, and may negatively influence communication, help‑seeking behavior, and acceptance of necessary care. However, the feelings expressed by Japanese older adults and patients when they say they “do not want to cause trouble” or that it is “painful to burden others” are not uniform; rather, they encompass a wide range of meanings shaped by cultural, relational, and personal contexts.
In some cases, this desire not to cause trouble reflects genuine concern or consideration for the physical, financial, social, or emotional burden they believe they impose on others. Individuals may worry that their illness, disability, or need for assistance creates hardship for family members or caregivers, and this concern may motivate them to restrain their requests for help. In other cases, however, the sentiment carries a more self‑directed, negative evaluative meaning. This includes issues related to independence and dependence, autonomy and heteronomy, perceived social roles, self‑worth, shame, indebtedness, and a sense of inequity or imbalance in relationships. For some individuals, the feeling of “being a burden” is closely tied to their identity and their understanding of what it means to maintain reciprocity within family relationships.
Clarifying the diverse meanings embedded in the desire not to cause trouble is essential for determining how best to support older adults and patients who hold such concerns. Without understanding the underlying significance of these expressions, responses from caregivers or family members may fail to address the individual’s true needs or sources of distress. This presentation aims to elucidate the characteristics of these meanings by conducting a literature‑based examination of how Japanese older adults and patients understand and articulate the feeling not to be a burden, as well as how SPB has been conceptualized in existing research.
| Abstract in Japanese (if needed): | 日本の高齢者や患者が抱く迷惑をかけたくない意識やSPBは、自分が原因となって他人にかけている負担や苦しみへの心配や配慮を意味する場合もあれば、自己認識に向けられる否定的な意味を持つ場合もある。本報告では、日本の高齢者や患者の抱く迷惑をかけたくない意識やSPBの文献学的検討を通して、その意味を明らかにすることを目指す。 |
Paper short abstract
This study examines elderly people living alone in early modern Japan, noting the emergence of "burden" perceptions despite community support. These ideals of independence resonate with contemporary Japan, where declining support systems may intensify such anxieties surrounding aging alone.
Paper long abstract
This paper examines the relationship between elderly people living alone and perceptions of “being a burden” in early modern Japan, and seeks to historicize the connection between solitude, social isolation, and burden consciousness in contemporary Japan.
It first argues that in early modern Japan elderly people living alone were generally regarded as objects of relief, and that support systems at the level of households and local communities functioned to sustain them. Because of the operation of these systems, there are relatively few historical sources that directly reveal the lived experiences or inner attitudes of elderly people living alone, especially in comparison with contemporary Japan. This situation reflects a fundamental contrast with modern Japanese society, where the advance of nuclear families has transformed living arrangements and perceptions of old age.
The paper then turns to a range of historical materials, including biographies of filial children, Ōjōden, official documents from various domains, and essays by intellectuals. These sources contain discourses in which elderly people living alone are associated with expressions of “not wanting to be a burden to others.” By examining such examples, the paper analyzes both the forms and the contents of the notion of being a burden as they emerged in relation to elderly people living alone. In terms of expression, it shows that the notion of being a burden was articulated through vocabulary and phrasing different from those used in contemporary Japan, a point that is essential for understanding its historical transformation. In terms of content, these perceptions were closely connected to decisions regarding places of care or recuperation, aspirations for an independent way of life, and an awareness of maintaining an appropriate distance from family members. In these respects, important continuities with contemporary Japan can be observed.
Finally, by contrasting early modern and contemporary Japan, the paper discusses the significance of a historical approach to solitude, social isolation, and perceptions of being a burden. It suggests that as traditional support systems and the moral teachings associated with them lose their social reality, the linkage between solitude, isolation, and the notion of being a burden may become increasingly pronounced.