Otou Yumi shared the home with his wife, Katayama, and their three children in Nara, southern Japan.
Katayama tried making conversation but only ever received a nod or a grunt in response, Mail Online reported.
![Otou Yumi finally talks to his wife at a park in Nara, southern Japan. Picture: Hokkaido TV](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/R5PJ2LKQQGL4C6HW63LQAFSWAU.jpg?auth=87ea83b1638002b6bba8afa216778ea6af92ea48e6b910902501b54f5fbe2c71&width=16&height=10&quality=70&smart=true)
The two-decade long silent treatment was revealed by the couple's son Yoshiki, 18, who wrote to a TV show asking them to intervene.