Humans are social creatures who always need someone else in his life. Lost of social contact with their surroundings will make them being isolated and depressed. This condition is now commonly found in the Japanese society especially among the elderly. Japanese society, particularly those who lives in urban areas, has now lost social ties and isolated from the surrounding environment. Social ties consists of ketsuen (? ?) or relationships based on blood ties, chien (? ?) or relationship based on common regional origins and shaen (? ?) or relationship based on common background of the institution or organization . In this paper I will analyze the influence of social ties in modern Japanese society on the social problem that were reported in Japan Times newspaper through description and analysis methodology. At the end, I conclude that the weakening of social ties in modern Japanese society cause many problems especially among the eldery .

social creatures, social ties, ketsuen, chien, shaen

• Sri Dewi Adriani, S.S., M.Si.

• Linda Unsriana, S.S, M.Si.