Gov't eyes counseling counters for social withdrawal sufferers

Sunday 24th August, 07:11 AM JST

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15 Comments

whynothow at 05:30 PM JST - 23rd August

The ministry defines hikikomori as individuals who stay at home and isolate themselves from society for long periods of time, refusing to go to school or to work

They refuse to join the freak parade.... Can`t really blame them. They might even be better off than The Drones In Suits, perpetuating the work- pay-shop cycle. Either way, pretty dismal stuff...
Alphaape at 05:57 PM JST - 23rd August

A good book to read on this subject is "Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation" by Michael Zielenziger.

To sum it up in a nutshell: "After its 1990 economic crisis, Japan entered a period of stagnation and has yet to recover. Although at first limited to finances, this depression slowly spread to the country's political system as well as its national consciousness. One extreme example of the problem is the more than one million young men who have given up on school or employment, spending their days in their cramped apartments. In this well-researched and well-organized book, journalist and scholar Zielenziger reveals how these men ("hikikomori") are both a symptom of and a metaphor for Japan's ennui. With compassion and vigor, he presents close-up portraits of the hikikomori, while grounding their stories in the political, economic and historic realities facing Japan today. Zielenziger also suggests that women who avoid marriage and children, men who drink too much and both men and women fetishizing brand names are additional signs of the mass confusion and discontent. Seven years as a Tokyo bureau chief for Knight Rider newspapers has given Zielenziger the necessary access to this closed culture, though his exposé is bound to be controversial. His inclusion of both small details and the big picture makes the book as intimate as it is revealing."

I've read this book, don't agree with all of it, but it does give an honest picture of an outsider looking in on the problems in Japan. I am aware that there are these types of people in all countries, but I think that here in Japan it is much more of a crisis than in other places. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this issue. Not sure if it has been translated into Japanese, but I would encourage the J-officals to read this if they haven't.
lipscombe at 06:00 PM JST - 23rd August

so nearly 1% of the population have this problem and affect the lives of all those around them, contributing nothing to society. almost as many of these in Japan as there are foreigners, about time the government started to do something about it
doedel at 06:03 PM JST - 23rd August

Very good move by the Gov't, they should extend this to more than 'hikikomori' though. It might safe people from going slashed randomly or jumped onto in public places. However, the article states that the "Gov't eyes" ... much time could be involved till this gets really working, hopefully not.
outofmydepth at 06:31 PM JST - 23rd August

don`t just "eye" it - do something soon or we are doomed.
boobug at 06:55 PM JST - 23rd August

Hikikomori ? Be honest, are these really the kind of people we want roaming the streets in todays Japan ? I mean shouldn't we just let the sleeping dog lie ? No telling what years of self imposed confinement has created. I say let them stay holed up, at least they won't be taking out their angst on the streets of Akihabara somewhere.
TheNewZen at 07:10 PM JST - 23rd August

boobug.

They need some serious help as they are a burden to their families. There is also a drastic increase of "hiki-komori" in the 30's and 40's age-range(middle-life crisis been dropping in age-range for some time).

They are called "Otona-hiki-komori", don't think it is a problem just confined to japan either, just not gotten major headlines in the west, etc yet.

Japan right now as a country with a pro-longed economic slump is a good study ground for those things and the west should check it as many western countries are also heading into a prolonged economic down-turns and similar problems will surface.

I like Japan but I also see the flaws and trends and how they are indicators for what could happen in the west.

IMHO, western countries will fare way worse if tｈey had a 1５＋ｙｒ　slump　like japan is having.

Hate to say it but Japan will be mirrored soon in western, etc countries if they current trends prevail. And it could get nastier as many western countries got access to more lethal stuff and I think we will see an increase in office-shootings, etc soon.

Just my view.
haytkayokomiya at 12:13 AM JST - 24th August

That might kill the anime business.
medievaltimes at 09:09 AM JST - 24th August

This is a good step. At least they are not pretending the problem doesnt exist.
sk4ek at 04:53 PM JST - 24th August

On the other hand, if these people are stuck in their rooms/homes, setting up a counter in some government office seems a kind of perverse way of approaching the problem. I suspect they're not going to see a lot of traffic...
TheNewZen at 05:03 PM JST - 24th August

Not really, there are some hospitals catering for them already and results are good so far. Real problem are the guys in their 30's and 40's which only got known recently.

I think the get more treatment from　talking to others that experience the same thing than from from chatting some paid guys/gals.

Like I said not a problem confined to japan but I guess the west hasn't caught onto it yet.
FreedomFries at 02:30 AM JST - 25th August

More therapy, and more help for families who have a member with this problem is needed. In the US we do not have this probles, our society is open and mental illness and depression are not a dirty word. Japan time to treat mental health issues is a 21st century way.
Altria at 01:16 PM JST - 25th August

So are they going to install these counters outside people's bedroom doors, or what?
Notginger at 08:53 AM JST - 26th August

In English we call this phenomenon 'agoraphobia'. It is a well documented and common place mental problem, and isn't culture specific.
bushlover at 08:36 PM JST - 26th August

The more you yurusu, the worse it gets... I don't think the 'economic slump' caused this. The hikikomori seem to be from well off families too. It's the no discipline and letting people get away with hiding in their room with their little games connected to the internet. Real parents wouldn't stand for that kind of behavior and either throw the kid out on his butt like the birds throw their little ones out of the nest to teach them to fly or chuck the games in the ol gomi bin. Yurusanaihougaiitoomou.