--- description: This tranquility chair unveiled by Unicare Japan is supposed to comfort older people title: This Chair Is Supposed to Make You Feel Less Lonely image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Chair Is Supposed to Make You Feel Less Lonely  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Oct 2, 2014 4:17 PM CUT  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Oct 2, 2014 4:17 PM CUT  Yoshikazu Tsuno / AFP—Getty Images A chair that boasts a life-size fabric doll with long arms for giving sitters a big hug appears to have stolen the show at the International Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition in Tokyo. This $419 “tranquility chair,” manufactured by the nursing care goods company Unicare, is “designed for older people,” a spokesperson [told AFP.](http://news.yahoo.com/japan-unveils-anti-loneliness-hugging-105740583.html "undefined") According to the [World Bank](http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.65UP.TO.ZS "undefined"), about a quarter of Japan’s population is over 65, and the number of seniors living alone in Japan is expected to grow 54% by 2030, per The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in Tokyo, [Bloomberg reports.](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-19/dying-alone-becomes-new-normal-as-japan-spurns-confucius.html "undefined") **MORE:** [Japan: Baby Robots Treat Depressed Seniors](http://techland.time.com/2011/03/03/japan-baby-robots-treat-depressed-seniors/ "undefined") **MORE:** [How Feeling Lonely Can Shorten Your Life](http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/19/how-feeling-lonely-can-shorten-your-life/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3456630/anti-loneliness-chair-japan/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3456630/anti-loneliness-chair-japan/"},"headline":"This Chair Is Supposed to Make You Feel Less Lonely","datePublished":"2014-10-02T16:17:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:48:23.987Z","description":"By hugging you","url":"https://time.com/3456630/anti-loneliness-chair-japan/","keywords":["Newsfeed","society"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. Waxman","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3456630/anti-loneliness-chair-japan/","name":"This Chair Is Supposed to Make You Feel Less Lonely"}}]}] ```