Last Updated: April 07, 2023, 17:15 IST
This picture shows Ikeida, a 55-year Japanese man who has chosen to shut himself completely away from society, posing for a picture in Tokyo. (AFP)
The term hikikomori was coined in Japan in the 1990s to describe young people who had withdrawn from society and remained isolated for extended durations
An estimated 1.5 million working-age people in Japan are living in isolation, a phenomenon referred to as hikikomori, according to a new government survey released on Friday.
One-fifth of the 1.5 million people cited the Covid-19 pandemic as the primary reason for their withdrawal, raising worries about their mental health and social well-being.
The poll is Japan’s first official comprehensive study into the prevalence of hikikomori, which has been affecting a broad swathe of society in Japan, from teens to the elderly.
The term hikikomori or “shut-ins” was coined in Japan in the 1990s to describe young people who had withdrawn from society and remained isolated for extended durations. However, hikikomori was not recognised as a clinical diagnosis, but a social phenomenon.
The seasons for retreating from the country’s notoriously conformist and work-focused society range from unemployment to depression or bullying at school or in the workplace.
According to the survey, Hikikomori range from people who only go out to shop for groceries or to pursue hobbies, to more extreme cases who rarely leave their homes at all.
The survey, done on 30,000 Japanese citizens aged 10 to 69, also found that around two percent of the respondents aged between 15 and 64 or 1.46 million people had withdrawn from society to some extent.
The most common reason respondents gave for their social withdrawal was “quitting jobs”.
It is pertinent to note that Japan’s work culture is intense and all-consuming with long working hours and high levels of stress. Limited opportunities for career advancement can also cause burnout and contribute to the prevalence of hikikomori.
This was closely followed by the pandemic, which was cited as the main reason by 18 percent of recluses aged 15-39 and 20 percent of those aged 40-64.
“It seems that some people happened to meet our definition of hikikomori because they were discouraged from going outside by Covid and so ended up having less contact with society,” Cabinet Office official Koji Naito told AFP on Wednesday.
To address the issue, some local authorities have responded to the crisis and are coming up with means to address the issue.
The Tokyo ward of Edogawa will host social gatherings from June in the metaverse where hikikomori can connect with others through their avatars.
According to a 2021 study, the ward is home to over 9,000 individuals who identify as hikikomori, including students who have stopped attending classes, according to The Indian Express.
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