Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: The rise of Asia's deathcare business

Good evening. "Health care" is a common term, but how many of you have heard of "death care"? Merriam-Webster (our dictionary of record and which spells deathcare as one word) defines it as "of, relating to, or providing products or services for the burial or cremation of the dead." It seems to cover a wide range of services related to death, and in this week's ASEAN Money feature, we explore how deathcare is becoming a thriving industry in Southeast Asia.

The region is diverse, with a rich mix of ethnicities, cultures and religions, all of which shape the distinctive services that cater to different deathcare needs. These services create significant economic value, a trend that is likely to accelerate as the era of "superaging" takes hold across Asia.

This topic immediately brings to mind the Japanese film "Departures" ("Okuribito"), which won the Academy Award for best foreign language film in 2009.

In the movie, the main character, a cellist who returns to his hometown after his career stalls, takes a job preparing the deceased for their "departure" to the afterlife. In one scene, his wife criticizes his new job as dirty, reflecting the complex views society often holds about this type of work. However, as the film progresses, her attitude changes -- much in the way that people gradually come to understand and accept the deaths of others.

Speaking of Japan, crematoriums in the Tokyo metropolitan area are widely reported to be rapidly raising their prices, largely due to the dominance of a few private companies -- a situation that many consider problematic. Equally troubling is the growing trend, recently reported by Nikkei, in which people wishing to break ties with their dying parents and achieve "family closure" hire companies to step in and care for their relatives and even perform funeral rites on their behalf.

My suggested reads

1. Over the past two weeks, Nikkei Asia has been examining the rapid spread of obesity across the region, contributing factors and preparations for the arrival of "wonder drug" treatments. Today, we looked at measures policymakers are taking to promote healthier foods and drinks, including grading systems, targeted taxes and marketing restrictions. Some experts worry regulators are moving too slowly.

2. Singapore is an early Asian winner of the post-U.S. election "Trump trade" -- investor bets on the economic impact of policies President-elect Donald Trump is likely to introduce. The city-state's banks would benefit from the incoming U.S. leader's expansionary fiscal policies, as the lenders would be able to set higher interest rates for loans in a higher-yielding market environment, boosting their earnings.

3. Global smartphone and PC makers are ramping up their production in Indonesia as the battle for market share heats up. The government is keen to encourage foreign investment, but with an as-yet-underdeveloped supply chain and increasing competition, the road ahead could be a bumpy one for the likes of Apple, Samsung and Oppo.

4. The ousting of Syria's Bashar Assad may have reminded Chinese President Xi Jinping of a meeting with then-President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2017. During dinner, Trump suddenly ordered airstrikes on Syria -- a bombshell aimed at pressuring not only Xi but also Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Trump's return to the presidency is creating geopolitical deja vu.

5. Photos and paintings depicting the horrors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings will be on display for nearly a year at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. Titled "A Message to Humanity," the exhibit coincides with the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize to Japan's largest organization of atomic bomb survivors.