An audit of Japan’s welfare system has been initiated after an innocent gesture uncovered irregularities in payments: more than 230,000 Japanese centenarians are “missing”

The inquiry followed the discovery of the mummified remains of Sogen Kato, who was thought to be the oldest man in Tokyo.

However, when officials went to congratulate him on his 111th birthday, they found his 30-year-old remains, raising concerns that the welfare system is being exploited by dishonest relatives.

He was mummified? Could it be there is a modern form of sokushinbutsu to help one’s family, or is this more like a Weekend at Bernie’s effect related to the shame of fraud?

Privacy in Japan will surely take a hit after this kind of incident. The fund manager is likely to want to have more ability to verify a recipient and that means more visibility by the government into family affairs. Birthday visits with gifts are probably the least intrusive form of verification and that clearly is not working.

The Japanese government leaves it up to local communities and independent healthcare bodies to check up on centenarians, and methods differ from one municipality to another, said a health ministry official.

“In a small town, it’s easier to check up on the safety of centenarians by visiting them. But in a larger city, officials may just give a quick telephone call to family members who will confirm that the centenarians are alive,” the official said.

In Tokyo, ward offices said it can be difficult to check on the elderly because relatives sometimes refuse to cooperate and prevent welfare workers from entering homes, according to a survey by the Yomiuri daily.

It is easy to see how the fraud became so pervasive. Refusal to cooperate could soon mean an end to payments.