Category: hikikomori

Say No to Hikikomori Lite

In his May 2023 article, “Let’s Stay In,” John Mac Ghlionn begins with the decades-long Japanese phenomenon of hikikomori. He explains that hiki means “to withdraw” and komori “to remain inside.” In Japan, 1.5 million people, many of them young men, have completely removed themselves from society: no dating, no working, no socializing in person….


Nearly 1.5 Million Japanese Living in Extreme Isolation After COVID-19 Lockdowns

Japan has seen an increasing prevalence in the “hikikomori” phenomenon following COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, with an estimated 1.46 million people isolating themselves from society by staying at home for an extended period. A survey by the Cabinet Office found that about 20 percent of the total 1.46 million hikikomori—a term used in Japan to refer…