At a funeral in Japan, balloons are released into the sky. The largest balloon in the lower right corner contains the cremated ashes of the deceased. (Source: Photo accompanying Chosun Ilbo report)
　　Japan's Balloon Kobo is a company that provides “balloon funerals,” in which the ashes of cremated bodies are placed in balloons and sent high into the sky, where they are allowed to explode naturally and the ashes of the deceased are scattered in the air. Recently, the number of Japanese people holding balloon funerals has continued to increase, with more than 100 people making reservations alone. The cost of a “balloon funeral” is generally 240,000 yen (about 12,000 yuan). The Economist magazine published an article on Japan's “balloon funerals”, saying, “Recently, the number of deaths in Japan, which has entered a super-aging society early, has surged, leading to a growing demand for more creative funerals. This is a phenomenon caused by the fact that there is no one to honor the dead and no place to bury them.”
According to the Chosun Ilbo, Japan, which has a long average life expectancy and a low fertility rate, entered a super-aging society as early as 2006. Last year, more than 1.5 million people died in Japan, the highest since World War II. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare speculates that the number of deaths in Japan in 2040 will reach 1.68 million.