This study seeks to find out how death is viewed by the middle-aged and elderly Japanese. Nine hundred forty-four subjects were surveyed with a view to ascertaining their attitudes towards the death of their own and that of their loved ones. The finding shows that they are more afraid of the death of their loved ones than their own death; they refuse even to imagine the departure of their loved ones. They deem their own death simply as the end of life, while on the contrary, they desire that the soul of their loved ones would remain. Death is an inevitable issue directly affecting the subjects themselves and indirectly affecting the people around them. While an increasing number of people of late prefer to make decisions as to their terminal care and funeral on one hand, the present research, on the other, shows that it is of utmost importance to respect the bereaveds' viewpoint in dealing with the issue. The finding indicates that the subjects' attachment to their spouse as the most precious partner tends to deepen as they become older. Therefore, it will be necessary for them to build relationships with others through the community activities as well as hobbies as part of their life design, so as to reduce emotional risks to the bereaved spouse in the event of their death.%近年，終末医療への関心が高まり，尊厳死や延命措置の拒否，医療を患者が選ぶなど，死の迎え方を自己決定するという意識が芽生えてきている（小谷2005）．また自らの葬送を生前に考えておこうという傾向も高まっており，「死後の自立」を提唱する市民グループも増えている（松島2002；井上2005）．このように「自分の死」への関心が高まっている背景には，戦後の平均寿命の伸長の結果，超高齢社会の死を「老」「病」の先に据え，人生の集大成として死を位置づける傾向が強くなってきたことが挙げられる．
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