IN JapanIn a country of 125 million people, about 1.5 million people live isolated from society, living almost exclusively within the four walls of their homes, according to the government.

These are the so-calledhikikomori(hikikomori), a term used by the government to describe people. isolated for at least six months in their home. Many of them only go out to buy the bare necessities, while others don’t even leave their bedroom.

The term for this social phenomenon was coined in the early 1980s, but in the last decade the authorities have become increasingly concerned about this. Indeed, as shown by a survey conducted last month by the state service for children and families.

The nationwide survey showed that among 12,249 participants, about 2% of peoplen between the ages of 15 and 64 were identified as hikikomori. The percentages are slightly higher in the 15-39 age group.

The specific percentage, however, corresponds to the national 1.46 million “blocked“, – said the representative of the service.

Pregnancy, layoffs, illness, retirement or interpersonal difficulties are considered to be some of the most common reasons for this extreme social isolation. However, the leading reason was COVID-19with more than a fifth of respondents citing the pandemic as a major factor in extreme loneliness.

The pandemic has only exacerbated already existing social problems such as loneliness, isolation and economic hardship, causing an increase in suicides and domestic violence, according to another study published in February by the National Library of the Diet of Japan.

According to experts, the hikikomori phenomenon is believed to have psychological causes such as depression and anxiety, although social factors such as a patriarchal culture and a gruelingly demanding work mentality also play a role.

A social phenomenon with a long history

Of course, hikikomori existed long before the pandemic, and as a social phenomenon they are connected with another problem, demographic.

Since the economic boom of the 1980s, Japan’s population has steadily declined and the annual birth rate has been at an all-time low for several consecutive years.

At the same time Mr. population aging is increasing as people leave the labor market in retirement, exacerbating the problem in a stagnant economy.

The situation is so critical that the prime minister has warned that the country is “on the verge of social dysfunction” due to the low birth rate.

For families with hikikomori members, this is a dual problem, referred to as the “8050 problem,” a term derived from socially isolated 50-year-olds who rely on their 80-year-old parents.

Source: CNN