Editing Funeral (section)

===In Japan===
{{main|Japanese funeral}}
[[File:Sudangee (last offices) shaving the head of the dead in Japan-J. M. W. Silver.jpg|thumb|Sudangee or last offices being performed on a dead person, illustration from 1867]]
Most Japanese funerals are conducted with Buddhist and/or Shinto rites.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/07/28/reference/japans-funerals-deep-rooted-mix-of-ritual-form/|title=Japan's funerals deep-rooted mix of ritual, form|last=Nakata|first=Hiroko|date=2009-07-28|newspaper=The Japan Times Online|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763|access-date=2017-01-31}}</ref> Many ritually bestow a new name on the deceased; funerary names typically use obsolete or archaic kanji and words, to avoid the likelihood of the name being used in ordinary speech or writing. The new names are typically chosen by a Buddhist priest, after consulting the family of the deceased.

Religious thought among the Japanese people is generally a blend of Shintō and Buddhist beliefs. In modern practice, specific rites concerning an individual's passage through life are generally ascribed to one of these two faiths. Funerals and follow-up memorial services fall under the purview of Buddhist ritual, and 90% Japanese funerals are conducted in a Buddhist manner[?]. Aside from the religious aspect, a Japanese funeral usually includes a wake, the cremation of the deceased, and inclusion within the family grave. Follow-up services are then performed by a Buddhist priest on specific anniversaries after death.

According to an estimate in 2005, 99% of all deceased Japanese are cremated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.srgw.info/CremSoc5/Stats/Interntl/2005/StatsIF.html |title=Cremation Society of G.B. – International Cremation Statistics 2005 |publisher=Srgw.demon.co.uk |date=2007-02-06 |access-date=26 November 2014 |archivedate=2014-11-28 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128224404/http://www.srgw.info/CremSoc5/Stats/Interntl/2005/StatsIF.html |url-status=deviated }}</ref> In most cases the cremated remains are placed in an [[urn]] and then deposited in a family grave. In recent years however, alternative methods of disposal have become more popular, including scattering of the ashes, burial in outer space, and conversion of the cremated remains into a [[diamond]] that can be set in jewelry.