Cremation in Japan

Cremation is the defacto standard of end of life in Japan whether you’re Japanese or foreign national.

This is the revised post which I wrote on my other blog yeyshona.com regarding Japanese Funeral 101.
I have corrected few places and update on the revised issue.

Japanese Funeral 101 cremation

As I wrote:

Cremation is a law in Japan, where there is a crematory in the municipal area you live in. As stated before, the percentage of cremation is over 95% in Japan. Most are cremated due to crematory existing within.

It’s actually a not a law but a custom and an ordinance.
99.9% of Japanese gets cremated and average it out to 99.7% of those who cannot be cremated due to their religious preference.
But after reconsidering of the fee of having the body shipped to their country (most are Jews and Islam), many reconsider.
It costs about 2 million yen to embalm, sealed in a vault, shipping cargo (by air), and cleared for customs in both countries.

There are some areas where there are no crematoriums (remote islands) that people do get buried but this is a rare case.
Most islanders have it “shipped” for the ceremony to the nearby municipality where there is a crematorium.

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Why do we have cremation in Japan?

Simply, not enough land to have everyone buried in the 20th century.
It became a law over 100 years ago by Meiji Emperor when the plague started.
After Edo era, the Meiji Emperor banned cremation due to Shinto beliefs and wanted to separate Shinto and Buddhism.
But when the plage broke out, they needed a method to control the disease and contamination and back to cremation.

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Cremation Practices and Regulations in Japan

• Cremation Ordinance in Japan
  • Cremation is semi-mandatory in Japan.
  • Over 95% of deaths result in cremation due to the widespread availability of crematories.
• Locations Without Crematories
  • Budget Constraints
    • Some towns lack crematories due to budget limitations.
    • Citizens are allowed to use facilities in adjacent cities, with costs reimbursed by their city/town hall.
      • But you can have it done in other places at your cost.
        Some muncipalities will reimbust you.
      • Example: Samukawa town uses Chigasaki city’s crematory.
    • Historical and Archaeological Reasons
  • Exceptions to Cremation Ordinance
    • Foreign Catholic clergy with church-owned graveyards are not required to be cremated.
    • Religeon that does not allow cremation are exempt.
  • Historical Context
    • Cremation has been practiced for over a thousand years.
    • It became mandatory during the Meiji era for space and public hygiene reasons.
    • The law requiring a 24-hour waiting period before cremation was established to prevent the premature cremation of individuals who might still be alive.
• Great Kanto Earthquake Incident
  • During the 1923 earthquake, some individuals in shock were mistakenly declared dead.
  • This incident highlighted the importance of the 24-hour waiting period before cremation.
• Modern Cremation Facilities
  • Modern crematories use electric or gas turbines; some still use oil.
  • Smoke is filtered to prevent the release of ashes.
  • Cremation process takes 1 to 1.5 hours.
• Handling of Remains
  • Japanese crematories preserve bones, placing them in an urn.
  • Customs vary:
    • Full-body bones or partial bones are collected, with a regional distinction around Gifu prefecture.
  • Kanto Region (Tokyo)
    • All bones are collected.
  • Kansai Region (Osaka)
    • Partial bones are collected, notably the esophagus area (Nodo Botoke).
• Ceremonial Practices
  • Families wait in lounges during the cremation process.
  • Verification of bones by immediate family members.
  • Bones are cooled and then picked up using long chopsticks by two people simultaneously.
  • Tradition dictates avoiding dropping bones during transfer to the urn.
• Post-Cremation Ceremonies
  • “7th day” ritual may be performed, signaling the end of mourning for now.
  • In Kansai, partial bones are placed in a smaller urn for deposit in a head temple.
• Kamakura city does not have a crematory due to historical opposition and archaeological concerns.
• Cremation services are outsourced to a private crematory in Zushi city.
• Tokyo’s Unique Case
  • In Tokyo’s 23 districts, all crematories are privately owned and not government-run.
• Islands
  • Some small islands lack crematories due to insufficient population.
  • Residents of these islands are exempt from cremation requirements.

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I will update more in English as well for the non-Japanese.