Public attitudes in Japan toward death and dying have undergone considerable changes in the past 20 years, according to Alfons Deeken, founder and president of the Japanese Association for Death Education and Grief Counseling.
Traditionally, talking about death has been taboo, Deeken said. But today, Japanese are more open to considering their ultimate fate and doing something to make the most of their lives.
An increasing number of people are beginning to realize the importance of death education, which, paradoxically, addresses some of the most basic and essential elements of living, said Deeken, who is a professor of philosophy at Sophia University in Tokyo.