2
Background of study
This study aims to explore how Japanese, who are geographically separated from their
elderly parents, perceive and manage in supporting their elderly parents living in Japan.
Family structure has been changing from the traditional extended family to nuclear family in
postwar Japan (Matuoka 1997; Shibusawa 1997). The Ministry of Health and Labor reported
that the number of persons over 65 who do not live with their adult children has increased 6
times during the past 25 years (Asashi-Shibun 3/18/02). This is attributed to various
consequences of modernization, such as migration of young people to urban areas for work,
social mobility, and changing traditional ideology of family care giving (Adachi 1996).
Mass media and some scholars consider that structural changes in economic systems
have altered Japanese family structure from extended family to nuclear family. For Example,
Miyajima (2000) found in his study that the numbers of people who are employed in white
color jobs in urban areas has increased, while the number of people who engage in farming
and small business in rural areas has been decreasing since the 1970s during the onset of
rapid economic development in Japan.
Despite these shifts in family structure and cultural values, adult children, for the most
part, do not neglect their elderly parents (Haruyama 2001). Many still maintain a feeling of
obligation to provide support for their elderly parents. However, work and daily obligations
make it difficult for adult children to provide that support (Nakajima 1991). In addition, some
scholars (Harima 1993; Matsuoka 1997) insist that it is difficult for the elderly to move to
new places in order to live with their children. Thus, since the adjustment to new
environment is harder in old age, the elderly are reluctant to move to their children’s homes.
As Japanese society is aging, there are many studies about experiences and problems
of the elderly who live alone. Many scholars (Ogawa 2002; Odaka 2002) have examined the
issues regarding this population and the informal caregivers who live with the elderly. On the
Convention