お申込み

Graves that are abandoned because there is no one to take over are called "unclaimed graves," and these problems are occurring even in public cemeteries. A survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications revealed that although there are abandoned "unclaimed graves" in public cemeteries across the country, there is little progress in sorting them, and local governments are struggling to deal with these issues. According to a survey conducted by the Administrative Evaluation Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, of the 765 municipalities nationwide that were confirmed to have public cemeteries, 445 municipalities (58.2%) had abandoned graves in their public cemeteries or ossuaries.

One of the negative effects of abandoned graves is that public cemeteries located in close proximity to the community face the risk of collapse due to the deterioration of gravestones and block walls, and environmental degradation due to overgrowth.

If a local government is unable to locate the original user of a cemetery, it must ultimately relocate the remains to a communal grave or other suitable location and remove the gravestone. However, in the five years leading up to fiscal year 2020, only 47 municipalities (6.1%) had undertaken such sorting. There are no legal regulations governing the disposal of removed gravestones, and local governments vary in their approach, with some choosing to store them indefinitely.

The increasing number of abandoned graves across the country has been attributed to the aging population and the increasing number of people finding it difficult to manage their graves due to the concentration of population in urban areas. While local governments have suggested that local residents should form management associations and independently manage their graves, the lack of progress in identifying owners has prevented the establishment of such associations, leaving local residents anxious about future management. The situation may become even more serious, and the "abandoned grave problem" is likely to remain a local community issue that concerns us. In this way, it seems that the common sense that "public cemeteries are safe" is already a thing of the past. Hopefully, legal reforms will prevent graves from suddenly being vacated and remains disposed of without permission. Perhaps it's time to discuss the grave issue with your family and those around you about what you want to do with your graves.

For inquiries or questions about natural burial scattering at Scattered Bone Mountain, please contact us by phone, email, or visit us for a free in-person consultation. We will provide detailed explanations about scattering ashes, which is still uncommon. We welcome any questions or concerns you may have until you are satisfied. Please feel free to discuss any details, such as closing the grave or making pre-planning reservations. If you feel you can avoid the hassle of visiting our office, please feel free to ask us questions via email. If you are in a hurry, please submit your scattering request directly. The data you submit through the application form will not be used for any other purpose, so please feel free to provide your information. Please note that submitting the application form is a provisional request; your formal request will be finalized once payment has been confirmed. We will also ask for the name of the deceased, so please submit your request using the dedicated scattering request email form.