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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Economy & Trade

Father Thinks His 38-Year-Old Son Is Broke and Living at Home. The Reality Leaves Him Stunned

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency Context piece
  • A 64-year-old Japanese father learned that his 38-year-old son earned 6 million yen a year and held about 35 million yen in savings and investments.
  • The son remained at home to reduce living costs and pursue FIRE, while paying his parents 50,000 yen a month.
  • The arrangement also raised questions about how the family would share household expenses and future caregiving responsibilities.

For years, 64-year-old Koichi Yoshida, a pseudonym, believed his 38-year-old son could not afford to move out. The son repeatedly cited a lack of money whenever his father urged him to live independently.

A closer question produced a startling answer. The son, Yushi, earned about 6 million yen a year and had accumulated roughly 35 million yen through savings and investments. He was not unable to leave home. He simply did not want to spend the money.

Living with his parents allowed him to avoid rent, utilities and other costs while putting most of his income into savings and investments. His aim was to achieve FIRE, or financial independence and early retirement, in his 40s. He also gave his parents 50,000 yen each month and said staying nearby could allow him to help if they later needed money, medical support or care.

The explanation left his father with mixed feelings. He saw reassurance in having someone close by, but also wondered whether his son’s talk of caring for his parents was genuine or partly a way to justify saving on rent.

The family’s financial situation adds to the tension. Yoshida’s income fell to 3.7 million yen after retirement, when he remained with his former employer, and he expected to enter pension life soon. He and his wife estimated that they would receive about 240,000 yen a month in pensions and had 18 million yen in savings.

The case reflects a wider pattern in Japan, where living with parents remains common among adults. A 2025 LIFULL HOME’S survey found that 37.7% of respondents in their 20s, and 26.4% of those in their 30s and 40s, lived with their parents. Among respondents with no plan or desire to move, the figure reached 52.5% for people in their 30s and 70.3% for those in their 40s. As housing and living costs rise, saving at home can be a deliberate choice, but families still need to define how they will divide expenses, housework and future care.

It is not that I do not have money. I just do not want to spend it.

· Yushi YoshidaThe 38-year-old explained why he had remained in his parents’ home despite having substantial income and assets.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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