Frightening numbers (541,000) of young hikikomori in japan
banzaitokyo
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8 years, 10 months ago
Japan home to 541,000 young recluses, survey finds
An estimated 541,000 people aged between 15 and 39 in Japan avoid social contact and shut themselves in their homes, according to a government survey released Wednesday.
The figure compares with the previous Cabinet Office survey in 2010 that found an estimated 696,000 such people known as hikikomori across the country. Despite the decline, the latest survey does not give an overall picture of the full extent of the phenomenon as it did not include those aged 40 or older.
But the survey does highlight a trend in which people who have withdrawn from society have done so for longer periods, as those who have shut themselves in their homes for at least seven years accounted for about 35 percent of the total.
good point really. Sometimes I feel that I might actually be happier if I had more time to spend alone :)
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I have seen that many Japanese people avoid meeting friends when they are troubled. Where I was born, it is common for us to look for a friend to talk to, when there was trouble.
I think the definition of "hikikomori" is a bit hard nowadays. If someone shuts himself at home but interacts with people using SNS, or plays games online, does that count?
I think the main concern for the government is the chance that these people might go crazy and do something like the Akihabara killings. But I am not really sure if there is any good data to support this.
My main question is "how are these people supported?" Some of them must be a huge burden (and worry) to the parents.
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