Japanese society has long had a reputation for close-knit families and companies and for group culture. This year, however, the average number of people in a Tokyo home dropped below two for the first time.<br /><br />NLI Research Institute says that, by 2020, living alone will be the norm in Japan. The think-tank's Akio Doteuchi says: "People are becoming more isolated. They used to live in friendly communities where neighbours would help them.<br /><br />"Now people want to protect their privacy, so people in these communities have never even met their neighbours. They don't know if they live alone or it's a couple or a family.<br /><br />"So sometimes people die alone without anyone noticing."<br /><br />Mike Firn reports from Tokyo.
