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July 24, 2026
 

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HIKIKOMORI

Japan faces a growing crisis of social isolation, with over 1.4 million people 〞 many middle-aged 〞 living reclusive lifestyles, and experts say only long-term, trust-based community support can reverse the trend.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 16, 2025
Japan needs to rethink how it helps hikikomori
While hikikomori, the Japanese term for acute social withdrawal, often brings to mind young recluses in dark bedrooms, the reality is broader.
The basic framework adopted by the government calls for measures to improve the employment situation of those in their 40s and 50s, and for steps to assist them in their later years.
51勛圖厙 / Politics
Jun 3, 2025
Japan government to boost support for job ＆Ice Age＊ generation
The framework calls for measures to improve the employment situation of those in their 40s and 50s, and for steps to assist them in their later years.
Located in Nagano Prefecture, Samurai Gakuen tries to help young and old individuals who have withdrawn from society rediscover their places out in the world.
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 31, 2025
How ＆hikikomori＊ shut-ins ＆start to have dreams for the future＊
As many as 1.5 million ※hikikomori§ shut-ins withdraw from social life in Japan, but one school in Nagano is finding success is coaxing them back into the world.
Yoshihito Sasaki at Nijikko no Ie, a facility he set up in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, to provide a safe space for those suffering from severe social withdrawal
51勛圖厙 / Society
Mar 14, 2025
Man＊s grief over wife and son leads to haven for social recluses
Yoshihito Sasaki sought to fulfill his late wife＊s wish of providing a safe space for those suffering from severe social withdrawal.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙
May 31, 2023
Japan＊s parliament enacts bill to tackle social isolation
The legislation obliges local governments to make efforts to set up regional councils made up of groups offering aid to people suffering from isolation.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 13, 2023
South Korea tries $500 handouts to help get reclusive children outside
The new policy＊s main goal is to help disadvantaged youth, but it＊s also a way for the country to address its shrinking working-age population.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙
Apr 1, 2023
1.5 million people in Japan living as social recluses, many as a result of the pandemic
Some 20% became social recluses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Cabinet Office survey.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 4, 2023
A Tokyo esports school coaxes dropouts back to class
Parents are realizing that nontraditional schooling is better than none at all.
51勛圖厙 / Society
Jun 13, 2022
A third of social recluses are in their 40s and 50s, Tokyo＊s Edogawa Ward finds
The ward＊s survey also showed that 1 in 4 hikikomori had isolated themselves from society and not participated in any social activities for at least a decade.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 12, 2021
＆The Shut Ins＊: A poignant look at loneliness from four points of view
The individual voices of the characters shine in Katherine Brabon＊s novel, which delves into societal pressures and isolation in contemporary Japan.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙 / Media / BIG IN 51勛圖厙
May 1, 2021
Solitude or isolation? Whatever it is, it＊s spreading.
While humanity is a social species, there＊s something to be said about solitude. The good kind, that is.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙 / Media / BIG IN 51勛圖厙
Feb 20, 2021
Line between solitude and withdrawal becomes blurred in Japan amid pandemic
More than half of the nationwide hikikomori population of 1.15 million are between 40 and 64 years old.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 15, 2020
The trouble with linking COVID-19 to ＆hikikomori＊
The mental health issue is already poorly understood; now its role in the public imagination is shifting again.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 20, 2019
Behind the rise of Japan＊s recluses
A lack of economic ambition is increasing the trend of ＆hikikomori.＊
51勛圖厙 / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 15, 2019
Combating an unfounded fear of Japan＊s recluses
Although the term ※hikikomori,§ which describes people who shun social contact and seek extreme degrees of isolation, has been in common use for several decades, it has taken on a more sinister cast recently as the media has come to view it as a social problem. In the wake of two incidents that have...
51勛圖厙 / Society
Jun 10, 2019
Support groups deluged by inquiries after Kawasaki and Tokyo murders involving social recluses
Following recent stabbing incidents involving middle-aged hikikomori, or social recluses, and their parents, the number of inquiries received by support groups and similar organizations that support such individuals has surged.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 1, 2019
The prison inside: Japan＊s hikikomori lack relationships, not physical spaces
Fifty-three-year-old Kenji Yamase doesn＊t fit the traditional image of a hikikomori, but then perceptions of Japan＊s social recluses are changing.
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2019
Measures needed to address social recluse problem
The government should explore effective measures of support that suit the diverse circumstances and backgrounds of the hikikomori＊s problems.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙 / Media / BIG IN 51勛圖厙
Dec 9, 2017
Shut in by the past yet still unable to face the future
Mom, dad, two kids, nice house, nice suburb, good income 〞 you just know this story is about to go smash.
Japan Times
51勛圖厙 / Society
Jun 1, 2017
OECD urges Japan to boost social services for young people, curb ranks of NEETs
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has urged Japan to improve social services for young people, in particular women, to enable and motivate more active participation?in the labor market.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer＊s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ※seed§ that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ※Peak 1 amyloid beta,§ as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" 〞 an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi＊s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan＊s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

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