613,000 Midlife, aged people living as recluses in Japan

March 29, 2019

Tokyo--An estimated 613,000 people aged 40 to 64 are living as "hikikomori" social recluses in Japan, with men accounting for nearly 80 pct of the total, the Cabinet Office said Friday.

According to the estimate, 51 pct of the total have shut themselves in their homes for more than five years.

The estimate is based on a questionnaire survey conducted in December last year with 5,000 people nationwide. Of them, 3,248 people, or 65.0 pct, gave valid answers.

Forty-seven respondents fit the definition of hikikomori. Their percentage in the total respondents was multiplied by the estimated population of those aged 40 to 64, which stood at 42.35 million.

Of the respondents socially isolating themselves, men accounted for 76.6 pct and women 23.4 pct. The survey also found that 21.3 pct of the hikikomori recluses have shut themselves in their homes for three to five years, and 6.4 pct for 30 years or longer.

According to the survey, 27.7 pct started living as hikikomori in their 20s, 8.5 pct in their 30s, 21.3 pct in their 40s and 19.1 pct in their 50s.

As a trigger to start social retreat, departure from employment was cited by the largest number of respondents, at 17, followed by human relations problems and illness, both at 10.

Many respondents who used to be hikikomori said they got back into society after they found jobs again or were invited by their friends to participate in recreation.

In the survey, hikikomori was defined as people shutting themselves in their homes at least for a half year, including those who go out only for something that interests them or to convenience stores and other places in their neighborhoods. Those staying at home due to illness were excluded.

In a fiscal 2015 survey conducted by the Cabinet Office with people aged 15 to 39, the estimated number of hikikomori came to 541,000.

It is not appropriate to simply combine the data with the latest estimate, because research methodologies and periods are different between the two surveys.

But an official of the Cabinet Office said more than one million people are believed to be living as hikikomori in Japan. Jiji Press