Japan Has the World’s Highest Cremation Rate

Death may not seem like a subject that would lend itself too much creativity, yet it has evolved in unexpected ways over time, at least in terms of how the living cope with it. Of course, burying the deceased has been a long-standing tradition in many communities, but there have also been other practices, such as sky burials and graves at sea, which have each had their place in history. Dissolving bodies is one of the more recent techniques. Of course, cremation is also an option.

Instead of burial, cremation has supplanted it as the preferred method of managing a person after death. And Japan is the country where it is most well-liked. In America, cremation is chosen by about 44% of people, whereas in Japan, it is about 100%. The astounding cremation rate in Japan in 2012 was 99.9%. Buddhism, which believed that cremation cleansed the spirit rather than burying a body in the grave, is one root of the popularity. Despite Confucianism's opposition, when Emperor Jito was burned in the year 703, it had a significant impact on the populace, which started to support the idea.

Additionally, a funeral in Japan today costs roughly $5 times as much as one in the United States, which averages around $16,000. They are also severely lacking in space for graves. The country is 4% the size of the United States, but it has 40% of America's people. Cremation just makes more sense from a cultural and financial perspective.