Hikkikomori ( withdrawing from society)

                                                                

                                                               Hikkikomori

What is hikkikomori? As some people don’t know what hikkikomori is, it is a term that is used in japan to describe people who withdraw themselves from the society;  to the extent of cutting all forms of contact  from the outside world due to  circumstances in their lives..

Contrary to assumptions of this case being not such a big deal, hikkikomori is in fact one of the biggest problems facing Japan to this day and is still on the rise.

 The hikkikomories represent a 1 million Japanese people, so 1% of the whole Japanese population and an estimate of 20% are all individual male from the teens to an adult.

 These figures alone prove that hikkikomori should be looked at more seriously; 1% is a small number but when represented by 1 million in the population it makes it a big deal.

So what is the cause of the hikkikomori cases? Some believe that it can arise from bullying from school, being unable to find employment, depression, social anxiety agoraphobia etc

Mostly teenagers in Japan’s cities are turning into modern hermits.  BBC News reporter Phil Rees highlights this issue in an article on a Japanese family that has a hikkikomori son that is only 17 years of age. 








This was caused by bullying in school and the family had no knowledge of his situation until one day he returned home, went to his room and never came  out.

The parents grew concerned for their son’s wellbeing due to fears of what was becoming of him. But the reality is that he gets bullied in school  while the school does nothing to make a stop into this problem. To worsen matters, bullying in schools are really common in japan and other countries.

It is quite unfortunate, however, that Japanese parents do virtually nothing to prevent  this developing problem; it is as thought they welcome it into their  homes with open arms.

Why are there so many hikkikomori victims? Reasons are that many people become this way, especially young teens as a result from the intense Japanese Education System;

 Because entry to schools are highly competitive because failure to achieve can bring embarrassment to oneself and shame upon the family. 




And this has led to the fact that children become frustrated as a result of extremely high standards and the inability to secure a good job.

Other contributing factors include parents that are failing to look into their children’s problems, thus do nothing because in their own mind set childrens’ failure reflects on the parents failures, being enough reason to ignore the reality that hikkikomori is a major concern.

Contrary to popular beliefs, it is very common in Asian countries such as Japan to have an extreme education system where children have must attend night schools in order to  raise chances of entry into  university. 




 In addition, Asian parents tend to put pressure on their children to do well, study hard, without considering their children’s freedom of choice, thus causing depression and in worse cases becoming a hikkikomori.

One blogger pointed out a severe case of hikkikomori where a man stabbed his family and set fire to his house. He remained in this negative state for 14 years  and was addicted to internet shopping and auctions until his father cut off the internet  connection; only causing the son  to lash out on a stabbing rampage.




 Shortly after his arrest, reports showed  an extensive development of austistic spectrum disorder, a form of intellectual disorder as a result of his untreated hikkikomori situation.


 But to think that upon early inspection, his unfortunate resulting attacks may have been treated early and prevented. Or is that the case? Either way such withdrawal symptoms only conclude with the fact that hikkikomori is not something to be ignored or taken lightly. 




  This raises the question again of why the parents did nothing about it; The problem continued for 14years and not one person would dare enter his room and reason with him.




And to really make one think - how would a western parent react when presented with the exact same situation? Would they overlook this problem?

This matter is one of the greatest social problems in Japan and is steadily increasing to the point where the Japanese government is too ashamed to admit that this problematic disease is rapidly spreading nationwide and the families fall victim to it more than the person with the disorder. 

Why is it that the government is unable do something about this social problem? Is it because it is not their responsibility?  Do they not want to be involved in this matter?  In any case, the main issue occurs within the family so why have they not done something about it?

 It is common that youth issues are often overlooked, is it because parents and authoritative figures are ashamed addressing their childrens failures?  It seems as though important matters are brushed aside so that reputations would stay intact. 

In conclusion with this matter, parents should be more firm with their children it regardless of whether it is in Japan or any other country. 


The truth of the matter is that no loving caregiver would wish for their children to be isolated in their rooms because a misfortune that could have been solved through a proper discussion.  The one thing that many can be certain of is that hikkikomori definitely is an important topic and needs to be examined with great consideration.