http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/tokyos-oldest-man-had-been-dead-30-years/story-e6frg6so-1225899210820
Tokyo's oldest man had been dead 30 years Richard Lloyd Parry From: The Australian July 31, 2010 12:00AM DESPITE his claim to fame, old Sogen Kato had always been remarkably reclusive. Born in 1899, he was for many years listed as the oldest person in Tokyo and one of the 50 oldest in the world. Far from drawing attention to his longevity, however, Kato lived a hermit-like existence. His daughter and grandchildren responded to inquiries by saying he was fine -- but none of the neighbours could remember the last time they had seen him. When social workers called on Monday to congratulate him on his 111th birthday, they were told he did not wish to receive visitors. Then on Wednesday his granddaughter went to the police with an astonishing story. Not only was Kato dead, but he had been dead for 30 years -- and his mummified body was lying on his bed in the family home. Japanese authorities are trying to work out whether this was a case of religious belief gone mad, or a straightforward instance of social security fraud. By the account that was given by his family - a 79-year-old daughter and grandchildren aged 49 and 53 - Kato was, in life, a devout and a stubborn man. In about 1980 he had announced his intention of "becoming a buddha in his own body" - an extreme practice of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. The aspiring buddha gradually reduces his intake of food and water while meditating - until human life ceases and, it is believed, buddhahood is achieved. Having been reduced to extreme emaciation before death, the resulting corpse does not decay in the normal way but mummifies naturally when the tissues dry out. The corpses of Buddhist priests who have died in this way are still displayed in remote temples in the Japanese mountains. But no one ever expected to find one in a residential area 800m from one of Tokyo's busiest commuter stations. Kato's granddaughter told the police she had peeped through a crack in her grandfather's door and glimpsed a skull. When the police entered the ground-floor room they found Kato's mummified skeleton lying on his bed. The door was unlocked but it was blocked by a piece of furniture. However, the story is complicated by the state of Kato's financial affairs. For a buddha, supposedly free of attachment to earthly desires, he was unusually active in claiming social security benefits. His wife died in 2004, at least 14 years after his death, and since then a total of Y=9.4 million ($118,600) of widower's benefit had allegedly been paid to a bank account in Kato's name. About one-third of it was recently withdrawn from the account. Last year and the year before, Kato had overcome his mummification to allegedly claim elderly person's benefits worth Y=10,000 a year. Officials said they had their suspicions because, despite his great age, there were no records of Kato having ever claimed medical treatment. The police say they will question members of his family on suspicion of fraud. The Times
