The article explores the emerging concern of managing smartphone data after the owner's death, a concept referred to as "Digital end-of-life activities" in Japan. With the increasing digitization of our lives, this issue is starting to gain traction in Japanese society. Experts are discussing various aspects such as data privacy, the sentimental value of content, and legal implications. Individuals are being encouraged to plan how their digital assets will be handled post-mortem, to prevent potential strife among surviving family members or misuse of information.

In Japan, end-of-life planning is a deeply ingrained cultural practice and the concept of digital legacies is becoming a part of this tradition. It is being seen as a way to ensure respect for the deceased and peace for the family. Japanese laws regarding digital information and data management are still evolving, and this situational ethics topic is turning into a legal discussion.

In contrast, in the US and EU, the awareness of digital end-of-life planning is varied. In some parts, digital asset management companies provide services to handle such instances while in others, legal proceedings must be initiated if one decides to access a deceased person's digital data due to stringent privacy laws.