Tokyo's 'oldest man' had been dead for 30 years

[jimmy d]

He was thought to be the oldest man in Tokyo - but when officials went to congratulate Sogen Kato on his 111th birthday, they uncovered mummified skeletal remains lying in his bed.

[Paul F.]

Ah, denial.. not just a river in Egypt... Apparently it runs through Japan as well...

[lafinfil]

The piece I heard about it on NPR said that he was still collecting his pension and somebody was spending it.

[DaviDC.]

For some reason the subject line made me chuckle.
The link & photos were an extra added bonus.

[ka jowct]

lafinfil wrote:
The piece I heard about it on NPR said that he was still collecting his pension and somebody was spending it.

A woman who lived two doors over from me continued to cash her social security checks after her death, but it only went on for about 6 months, not 30 years. Her son was the guilty party. "Mummy" was discovered in the back room of her apartment, buried under 4–5 feet of trash, ruined household furnishings, and dead cats, cemented together with cat feces and urine. The cat output did a pretty good job of masking the odor of decomposition.

[laarree]

ka jowct wrote:
[quote=lafinfil]
The piece I heard about it on NPR said that he was still collecting his pension and somebody was spending it.

A woman who lived two doors over from me continued to cash her social security checks after her death, but it only went on for about 6 months, not 30 years. Her son was the guilty party. "Mummy" was discovered in the back room of her apartment, buried under 4–5 feet of trash, ruined household furnishings, and dead cats, cemented together with cat feces and urine. The cat output did a pretty good job of masking the odor of decomposition.
What a fscking nightmare. Sounds like an un-broadcastable episode of "Hoarders".

[Speedy]

In this country the undertaker must report the death to social security. Cuts down on fraud.

[rjmacs]

Speedy wrote:
In this country the undertaker must report the death to social security. Cuts down on fraud.

I don't think anyone was reporting the corpses-concealed-in-apartments to the undertaker, however.