Japan continues to see troubles related to funeral fees
Many people in Japan are complaining about being misled by advertisements placed by funeral service providers, who are offering more options for scaled-down funerals but charging extra fees.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
As scaled-down funerals become more common in Japan, funeral service providers are offering more options, but many people are complaining about being misled by advertisements and charged extra fees.
Imagine you're planning a funeral for a loved one, and you see an ad that says a certain funeral home offers a simple and affordable service. But when you go there, they tell you that the service is actually more expensive than what the ad said. This is happening a lot in Japan, and it's causing a lot of problems for people who are trying to plan funerals.
Analysis
Funeral Fees in Japan: A Growing Concern
The recent trend of scaled-down funerals in Japan has led to a rise in complaints about funeral service providers' pricing structures. Many people have been misled by advertisements that promise affordable funerals, only to find out that they are being charged extra fees for services such as meals and return gifts for funeral offerings.
According to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, consumer affairs centers nationwide received a total of 917 consultations regarding funeral services in fiscal 2025, up from 632 in fiscal 2019. The number of consultations reached 900 for the first time in 2022 and has stayed high since. Among the inquiries made in fiscal 2025, 52.6% were made in relation to complaints about high prices and fees.
Experts say that the pricing of funerals has become more complicated in recent years, with funeral service providers offering more options for scaled-down funerals. However, this has led to a decline in prices per funeral, making some funeral homes take a hard sell approach. Kyoichi Matsuse, a 59-year-old funeral consultant, said that demand for affordable funerals with small attendance has been growing since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a decline in prices per funeral.
Matsuse pointed out that how prices are set differs depending on each funeral service provider. Some of them include items placed on altars in their basic plan while others don’t, and some outsource services such as meals and the sending of return gifts for funeral offerings. He said that it is difficult for consumers to grasp the total costs and that when receiving price quotations, it is necessary to go over each of the items one by one so that you don’t miss any unchecked payments.
The issue of funeral fees is not only a concern for individuals but also for the funeral industry as a whole. Funeral service providers need to be transparent about their pricing structures and ensure that consumers are aware of the potential for extra charges. In the meantime, consumers need to be vigilant and carefully review the price quotations they receive to avoid being misled by advertisements.
Key points
- Many people in Japan are complaining about being misled by advertisements placed by funeral service providers.
- Funeral service providers are offering more options for scaled-down funerals, but charging extra fees for services such as meals and return gifts for funeral offerings.
- The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan received 917 consultations regarding funeral services in fiscal 2025, up from 632 in fiscal 2019.
- Experts say that the pricing of funerals has become more complicated in recent years, with funeral service providers offering more options for scaled-down funerals.
- Consumers need to be vigilant and carefully review the price quotations they receive to avoid being misled by advertisements.
If funeral service providers become more transparent about their pricing structures, consumers will be able to make informed decisions about their funeral plans, and the industry will be able to provide better services to people in need.
If the issue of funeral fees is not addressed, it could lead to a decline in trust between funeral service providers and consumers, and the industry may suffer as a result.