High tech, IT and robots are at forefront of Japan's funeral industry boom

From a sutra-chanting humanoid robot to automated cemeteries, technological innovation is changing how Japanese deal with funerary rituals. As traditional family ties erode, people are opting for more affordable and convenient alternatives to conventional ceremonies and burial services. Here's a peek into how mourning the dead is going high-tech in Japan: What is driving the trend? Various factors are behind the ongoing transformation of the funeral business, but demographics lie at its core. Japan's low birthrate has diminished the size of family units while the aging population has given rise to elderly single-person households.