Consultations regarding so-called kazoku-jimai, or "family cleanup"—where people completely sever ties with parents or relatives or outsource traditional family roles such as caregiving to outside agencies—are surging in Japan.

According to Yomiuri TV on November 3, the number of related consultations received by LMN, a general incorporated association that provides life support services for the elderly, skyrocketed roughly sixfold over a four-year period, jumping from 55 cases between January and March 2022 to 320 cases between January and March of this year.

Eighty percent of all consultations concern severing ties with family members.

In the past, consultations were predominantly initiated by older adults in their 60s and 70s dealing with intrusive parental interference or caregiving burdens. Recently, however, the proportion of young people in their 20s and 30s has surged, accounting for 40 percent of the total.

Behind this phenomenon is pushback from the younger generation, who have suffered from verbal abuse, mistreatment, or neglect by their parents.

This trend reflects a growing sentiment that they will no longer tolerate the irresponsible attitudes of parents who inflicted deep emotional wounds in the past, offer no apologies or reflection, and yet expect to pass on the burden of caregiving in their old age.

Consequently, an increasing number of people are paying an initial registration fee of 550,000 yen (approx. 4.7 million KRW) and a fee of 11,000 yen per session (based on four hours) to use paid proxy services, entrusting companies with tasks such as parental care, hospital admissions, and funeral procedures while completely cutting off contact with their parents.

The frequency of using these services averages 1 to 1.5 times per month, and in some cases reaches up to 10 times a month.


Hideki Endo, head of LMN, explained the reason people use these proxy services despite the substantial cost, saying, "It stems from a desperate desire to be liberated and free from the daily barrage of contact and worry."

He also explained, "Along with the fear of not knowing what actions parents might take if left unattended, there is also a complex emotional state where, even though the relationship has broken down, people cannot completely abandon their parents."

Amid population aging and shifting family values, Yomiuri TV added that choosing to keep a certain distance or clean up relationships rather than endure unconditional sacrifice simply out of blood ties is establishing itself as a new social phenomenon.

(Photo: Yonhap News)