Japan's ageing stay-at-home children face worrying future

Hiromi Tanaka is 54 and lives with her widowed mother. She does not have a steady income or much savings. Photos: Reuters

Their youth long gone, members of Japan's generation of “parasite singles” face a precarious future. They are wondering how to survive once the parents many depended on for years pass away.

Some 4.5 million Japanese aged between 35 and 54 were living with their parents in 2016, according to a researcher at the Statistical Research And Training Institute on a demographic phenomenon that emerged two decades ago, when youthful singles made headlines for mooching off parents to lead carefree lives.