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Nick Egan
Mr. Brashears
Myth/Folk Lit.
9 May 2014
Pulling Inward
Over the last twenty years, in the depths of urban Japan, there has begun a growth of the
social syndrome known as hikikomori, the primary symptom of which is for young men to isolate
themselves within their homes, or just rooms, and remain there for months, years, decades;
incredibly long periods of time, with minimal or no social contact and minimal participation in
the workforce (Rosenthal, 1). The common explanation for this phenomenon arose during the
Lost Decades of the 90s and 00s; the years following the Japanese economic collapse in 1991,
which drastically shrunk a number of Japanese firms, and in turn resulted in a common belief
that major, widespread economic issues and unemployment were on the rise in Japan, with their
Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, publicly announcing that Japan was close to a catastrophic
situation. (Fingleton). This would have made the job market incredibly challenging and as such
could lead to many disillusioned hikikomori who were unable to land a career early in their life.
However, a number of economic interpretations of the Lost Decades argue that it was nowhere
near as terrible as commonly believed, and in fact was beneficial to Japans growth in both the
short and long-term. If this is the case, then there must be other factors of Japanese society that
have led to the hikikomori, and I believe that they primarily lie in the nature of Japanese family
culture, and how it has been drastically altered and influenced in recent years by the shift in
Japanese work culture, and the drastic effects of Western cultures influnece on both of these, as
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well as directly upon Japanese youth. Modernization has heavily clashed with ancestral Japanese
customs, and has incredibly stressed and disillusioned their youth; exemplified in the existence
of the hikikomori.
The term hikikomori refers not only to the syndrome but also to its afflicted: a type of
Japanese social recluse, usually young adult men in their early twenties, who essentially isolate
themselves within their homes, and are supported by well-educated, middle-class parents. They
typically do not work, and rely almost entirely on either their parents or government-provided
welfare, and will almost never venture outside their homes, and when they do will take every
single possible step to avoid any form of social contact. There exist an estimated 300,000 to
1,000,000 hikikomori in Japan, up to 1% of the nations population, though these statistics are
potentially higher as most hikikomori are likely unreported, due to the potential social shame that
comes to those associated with them (Jones, 1). Japan, in particular, holds numerous unique
qualities that have allowed this special type of syndrome to develop among their youth, as in
every country, young people have adjustment disorders. In Western culture, people are homeless
or drug addicts. In Japan, its apathy problems like hikikomori (Jones, 2). Most notable of
these Japan-exclusive issues root primarily from their unique familial culture. Most Japanese
families are almost incapable of comprehending their socially failed children, and even more feel
little or no desire to ever try to fix their children by seeking help; to point out that your
offspring is a failure is essential social suicide, and points the failure directly at the parents. As
psychiatrist Dr. Temaki Saito explains, the relationship between parent and child in Japan [is]
unique. Most parents feel that hikomori is a failure of their child-rearing. And consulting
someone about it is getting rid of your responsibility as a parent; its like getting rid of your child
(Jones, 1). Since seeking help would be in direct opposition to their parents desires, most
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hikikomori also tend to be far too afraid to ever seek help themselves, or will be fully content
with their situation. Even then, if a family does feel they could kick their child out of their home
to deal with their own life, many feel they couldnt, as their children wouldnt know how to take
care of themselves due to a complete lack of social skills or professional experience (Jones, 4).
Additionally, most hikikomori live off of financially stable or otherwise successful parents, or
off of the extensive government welfare provided by Japan for the unemployed, slowing down or
even preventing retirement for their parents and draining the Japanese economy, as well as
removing the necessity for the hikikomori to have to work to survive, and completely removing
the social pressures associated with work for the hikikomori. To reduce social pressures even
more, the existence of the konbini, or 24-hour convenience store, and internet suppliers allow
lone outcasts to purchase whatever they may need without more than a few sentences worth of
face-to-face social interaction, further exacerbating the hikikomori condition in those afflicted.
This constantly self-reinforcing shame for the hikikomori-afflicted and the numerous
concessions made by family and government to allow them to survive without a life-or-death
need to work for themselves, makes it nigh-impossible for the hikikomori condition to be
dispelled once one has fallen sufficiently into the disorder (Welcome to the NHK).
For many young, Japanese adults, the predetermined journey of the salaryman (or
sarariman) in Japan represents both the majority of Japans workforce, the generic way of life,
and the fears of Japanese youth. The to-be salarymen exit out of high school, enter an
accomplished college, graduate, are immediately hired, and then remain working in a single
corporation until retirement or death. The term salaryman itself refers to someone who works on
a salary-based income, usually for a corporation, which in itself inspires an image of the diligent,
but dull, worker; a lifestyle entirely revolving around work; regularly works unpaid overtime; is
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completely obedient; and is heavily prone to karshi, or death from overwork. In fact,
Japanese courts have compensated the relatives of those afflicted by karoshi, dying as a result of
incredible amounts of stress that lead to heart failure, stroke, or suicide (Nishiyama).
Additionally, Japan ranks near the bottom of the 34 OECD countries in terms of freedom of
choice in life (OECD Better Life Index), and almost all workers in Japan are recruited directly
after graduation from college in a custom known as the simultaneous recruiting of new
graduates, or Shinsotsu-Ikkatsu-Saiy, are pushed directly into their jobs. The existence of this
ritual makes the shift from graduation to a career considerably more efficient for most, but in
doing so it also isolates anyone who has to get a job at a time in their life anywhere other than
directly at graduation. Since many hikikomori are high school or college drop-outs, this ritual
has made it almost impossible for anyone who doesnt directly graduate from college to be
accepted into a corporate career. While partially related to the economic issues of the Lost
Decades, it easily happens regardless of the economic conditions; no matter the availability of
jobs, the very nature of work in Japan makes it incredibly difficult for anyone who falls or steps
out of the typical work-life routine to ever return or make a new career. As such, those who have
fallen out of that routine can easily become disillusioned with their life, and become so
intimidated by Japanese work culture to lose the desire to even attempt a normal, working life
again.
However, before work becomes an influence in a potential hikomoris life, comes student
life. In Japan, a common stereotype known as the Kyoiku Mama exists. Very similar to the
concept of the Tiger Mom of Chinese descent, the Kyoiku Mama is incredibly involved in their
childs student life, and can go to extreme lengths to guarantee them a successful life. Due to the
importance of a students entrance exams in being accepted to an impressive university, and
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therefore an impressive job, one of the relatively constant components of [Japanese student life]
has been the culturally anchored pressures on young middle-class Japanese boys to excel in their
university entrance examinations. The preparation for these examinations can be enveloped
within a smothering family environment that leaves very little room for childs private space
(Rosenthal, 11) or private time. As a child is pushed to the brink of academic life, they may
reject the incredibly group-oriented and success-based society of Japan, or simply be unable to
cope, and as a result trigger the beginning of becoming a hikikomori. The Western concept of
self-determination is taking hold in Japanese society, primarily manifested in modern youth and
starkly constrasting the traditional expectations of their families. This need to decide between
the two conflicting concepts have the potential to lead to the behavioral paralysis of the
hikikomori, and as such lead to their withdrawal from the conflict (Rosenthal, 10). While often
only starting with slight problems like poor grades or rejection from other students, the action of
withdrawal becomes more and more problematic as one stays in their bedroom. One such source
of these problems is the force known as sekentei:
a persons reputation in the community and the pressure he or she feels to
impress others. The longer hikikomori remain apart from society, the more aware
they become of their social failure. They lose whatever self-esteem and
confidence they had and the prospect of leaving homes becomes ever more
terrifying (Kremer, 2).
As a result, anyone who begins their descent into the hikikomori condition falls into a
downwards spiral, with their shame being constantly reinforced upon them. Without respite, and
with parents [] frequently [waiting] months before seeking professional help, (Kremer, 2)
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its easy to see how quickly a poorly-performing student might fall to become a hikikomori, and
how incredibly damaged their psyche can become when left to fester by itself.
With all these other factors leading to the hikikomori pandemic, the presence of the
economic downturn during the Lost Decades appears to hold little influence over the recent
appearance of the hikikomori. However, some economists argue that had it not been for the
restricted job market of the era, then there would not have existed so many college dropouts or
students who failed to net a career during Japans simultaneous recruiting custom that would
potentially become hikikomori (Kremer, 2). While Japanese stock certainly never returned to its
incredibly high state prior to the crash, Japanese corporations during the Lost Decades actually
continued to boost their revenues and maintain pre-crash employment levels, almost without
exception. In fact, certain companies, such as Toyota, have had sales nearly triple in 2011, when
compared to pre-crash 1989 (Fingleton). With this in mind, the job market may have
temporarily stagnated in that era, but not to any extent that it would have drastically affected
Japanese society.
Brought about primarily by the clash between ancient Japanese customs of work and
family with modernization and the Western world, the hikikomori hold a very recent and
parasitic addition to Japanese society. Shunned universally by Japanese society, many are
unlikely to find any help for their condition, and due to how recently the condition came into
existence, it is not fully known what the future holds for these isolated individuals. Currently
sustained in their rooms off of cheap, konbini food and almost universally suffering from some
type of anxiety or social disorder as a cause and/or result of their isolationism, while still being
reinforced to remain without treatment due to huge amounts of social shame, their lifestyle is
incredibly unsustainable for Japanese society. With their numbers potentially in the millions,
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any more growth of a hikikomori population could prove disastrous. While a partially damaged
economy is not responsible for their formation, unless reintegrated to the Japanese workforce
they are an enormous drain on their economy as a whole; especially in a country with one of the
highest age dependency ratios of old to young in the world (The World Bank). Despite the
common blame for the existence of the hikikomori being the poor economic conditions of the
Lost Decade, it is blatantly obvious that the minor economic dip of that time is not the cause.
The Western influence of self-determination and individuality has clashed drastically with
traditionalist and group-oriented Japanese culture, and the conflict between these two hugely
conflicting views has created widespread paralysis amongst Japanese youth. Those who are
unable to find themselves going down the path of the sarariman and eventual karshi often go
down the path of apathy instead. With Japanese familial and social culture as it is, these
apathetic individuals go down the path of hikikomori without any external aid, and their shame is
constantly self-reinforced by their pitiable state of being. Brought into existence by Japans
absurdly rigid, unadaptive, and traditionalist work culture, student culture, and family culture,
without widespread change in any of these areas, the apathy of the hikikomori will never go
away.





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Works Cited
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Hoax." Forbes. Forbes, 11 Aug. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
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Jones, Maggie. "Shutting Themselves In." The New York Times. New York Times, 15 Jan. 2006.
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Welcome to the NHK. Dir. Yusuke Yamamoto. Satoru Nizhizono. 2006. Television.
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