The curious case of Japan's dying citizens and their power utility bills

In one case reported by The New York Times, authorities sought out an elderly man for not paying his power bills and discovered his skeleton

Two years ago, Japan passed a milestone rare in world history except in times of war, famine or natural disaster: Its population began to shrink. And not only is it shrinking, but its average age is also rising. This trend is creating societal challenges, not least the phenomenon of elderly people passing away unknown, even unnoticed. This may not sound like a concern for power utilities, but the utility-customer relationship is uniquely suited to help.

At one point, Japan’s population was triple what it was at the turn of the 20th century, but it is projected to fall by tens of