TOKYO (TR) — A staggering 37 percent of Japanese men in their 50s have “zero friends,” a deepening social crisis that experts warn is directly fueling the nation’s epidemic of lonely deaths and suicides, reports Abema Times (Apr. 4).
The deadly isolation is largely driven by the rigid curse of “masculinity.” According to writer Satoshi Ito, 54, who recently sounded the alarm on the news program “Watashi to News,” middle-aged men in Japan suffer from a misplaced aesthetic. Many believe it is “cooler not to create a space where you can express vulnerability”.
“They die. They die because they have no friends. It’s too painful,” Ito warned, stressing that social isolation is a life-or-death health crisis.
The grim reality is backed by an ISSP survey revealing that 37 percent of men in their 50s have absolutely no friends to confide in. The isolation only worsens with age, leading to a surge in kodokushi, or lonely deaths. Police investigations into undiscovered corpses show that over 80 percent of those found dead after eight days or more are male.
This extreme isolation is also reflected in Japan’s tragic suicide rates. According to 2025 data from the National Police Agency, male suicides outpaced female suicides by more than double, with 13,176 men taking their own lives compared to 6,012 women. Experts point out that the inability of middle-aged men to discuss their struggles or release stress is a major contributing factor to the morbid figures.
“Particularly for men in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, they don’t know how to release the stress they hold inside, so they suffer and become completely alone,” Ito explained.
In a society where a man’s social circle is often strictly tied to his workplace, job loss or retirement severs all ties, leaving many to spend entire days without speaking to a single person. To combat the deadly trend, Ito has launched the “6020 movement”—an initiative urging men to make at least 20 friends by the time they turn 60, before their stoic pride leads to an early, undiscovered grave.
