TOKYO (CNN) – According to a new government survey, nearly 1.5 million people across Japan have withdrawn from society and are leading secluded lives largely confined to the walls of their homes.
These are Japan’s hikikomori, or shut-ins, which are defined by the government as people who have been in isolation for at least six months. Some only go out for shopping or the occasional activity, others don’t even leave the bedroom.
The phrase was coined as early as the 1980s, and authorities have expressed increasing concern about the problem over the past decade – but Covid-19 has taken the situation by storm, according to a survey conducted last November by the state Agency for Children and Humans Families was carried out, aggravated.
The nationwide survey found that among 12,249 respondents, about 2% of people aged 15-64 identified themselves as hikikomori, with a slight increase among those aged 15-39. Applying that percentage to the total population of Japan, there are an estimated 1.46 million social hermits in the country, according to a spokesman for the agency.
Common reasons for social isolation were pregnancy, job loss, illness, retirement and poor interpersonal relationships — A key reason, however, was Covid-19, with more than a fifth of respondents citing the pandemic as a major factor in their reclusive lifestyle.
No further information was given on the effects of Covid-19 on the respondents.
Japan, like many countries in East Asia, remained strict Pandemic restrictions well into 2022, even as other places have embraced ‘living with Covid’. It only reopened its borders to overseas visitors last October, ending one of the tightest border controls in the world, more than two years after the pandemic began.
But the toll of recent years continues to be felt deeply.
“Because of Covid-19, opportunities for human contact have decreased,” said a separate paper published in Japan’s National Diet Library in February.
It added that the pandemic may have exacerbated existing social problems such as loneliness, isolation and financial hardship, pointing to a rise in reported suicides and child and domestic abuse.
Experts have previously told CNN that hikikomori often stems from psychological issues like depression and anxiety, although societal factors like Japan’s patriarchal norms and demanding work culture also play a role.
Japan’s aging population
But hikikomori existed long before the pandemic, coupled with Japan’s other looming problem: its population crisis.
Japan’s population has been steadily declining since the economic boom of the 1980s, with fertility rates and the annual number of births falling to new record lows for consecutive years.
Meanwhile, the older population is growing as people transition from the workforce to retirement, creating problems for an already stagnant economy. Things are so bad that the Prime Minister warned this year that the country was “close to being unable to sustain its social functions”.
For families with hikikomori members, this poses a dual challenge, dubbed the “8050 problem” — referring to social recluse in their 50s who rely on parents in their 80s.
Authorities have also cited other factors, such as the rising number of single adults as dating and marriage wanes in appeal, and the weakening of real-life bonds as people move their communities online.
In 2018, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare set up a regional hikikomori support center to help those affected by the phenomenon.
“We believe it is important to reestablish ties with society while providing detailed support to those who have withdrawn by attending to their individual situations,” said Takumi Nemoto, then-head of the ministry, in 2019 .
He added that local and national authorities provide various services such as counseling and home visits for those affected by hikikomori, housing support for the middle-aged and elderly, and other community outreach efforts for “households who are struggling to make an SOS call themselves.” to report”, have launched .”
However, these efforts have been overshadowed by the challenges during the pandemic, prompting the government to conduct nationwide loneliness surveys from 2021 and release a more intensive response plan in December 2022.
Some actions include public awareness raising and suicide prevention campaigns through social media; assigning more school counselors and social workers; and continuing a 24-hour telephone counseling service for people with “weak social ties”.
There are also programs for single parents, such as meal plans for their children, home loans, and planning services for those preparing for a divorce.
While the pandemic may have caused greater loneliness in society, it may also have simply shed a light on long-standing issues that are usually overlooked, the government said in the plan.
“As the number of single households and older single households is expected to increase in the future, there is concern that the problem of loneliness and isolation will become more serious,” it said.
“Therefore, even if the spread of Covid-19 is brought under control in the future, it will be necessary for the government to … address the issues of loneliness and isolation inherent in Japanese society.”