I saw your programme “This Missing Million” on 20th October, and found it very interesting and thought it described the issue of Hikikomori very well. I have also read many comments on your website, which raised some important points.
I am struck by the fact that many people commented that this phenomenon is not unique to Japanese culture. I agree, but there are also differences in how it manifests itself in Western cultures. I have outlined these differences and offered feedback to viewers’ comments on your website.
Engaging in counselling and psychotherapy in Japan and the UK for many years, I realise that many Japanese people who experience social pressures in Japan, come to the UK hoping for change. However, many of them feel lost and experience maladaptation to British society. Hikikomori is found not only among teenagers but also among housewives. When expatriates come to this country, some wives experience Hikikomori as well, but they do not seek professional help. I have described this situation in my professional papers and a report of research projects I have conducted into mental health issues for the Japanese community in the UK.
1. Difference between collectivism and individualism
It is, in fact, universal that people often withdraw when they feel depressed. Many comments seem to refer to this kind of depression. Most sufferers, however, seem to have some access to the outside world, whereas Japanese Hikikomori is a long-term withdrawal in which the sufferers completely shut themselves off from the outside world. Japan’s society is very stressful (as is the UK’s) and people suffer from the same social pressure one finds in all industrialised societies in the world. However, there is a difference in societal structure: Japanese society is based on the idea of collectivism whereas the West’s is based more on individualism. Conformity is a very important factor in Japanese society and people do not have the freedom to be themselves. Pressure is enormous under these circumstances. It is a role-based society and involves a different sense of self to that experienced in the West. In Japan, people are required to have a much stronger sense of responsibility for society than they do in the UK.
2. Difference in the parent-child relationship
Parents do not intervene very much when their child withdraws in Japan, whereas parents would be inclined to intervene directly in the UK. Japanese parents have lost their authority and communication among family members is not, in general, smooth. The sense of obligation is strong but not so the family bonding. Therefore, this less intimate relationship between parents and children has a great effect and influence on the issue of withdrawal.
3. Difference of mental health provision and people’s attitudes towards mental health issues
Another factor is the stigma attached to mental health issues in Japan, where it is shameful to seek professional help. However, there are other aspects to consider. Counselling and psychotherapy are not understood properly, and the system is not established in Japanese society as in the UK. People’s understanding of its potential benefits is limited and Japanese people do not know who to go to for help. In many cases, issues are dealt with on a medical model, not on an emotional level.
A) A comment described the extreme nature of the cram school shown on the programme. It might sound extraordinary for members of other societies, but it is the reality for Japanese society. Almost everybody goes to cram school until 9.00 or 10.00 o’clock in the evening, and it imposes tremendous pressure on youth and influences their childhood. I thought that it was valid to cite this as a contributory factor to the Hikikomori phenomenon.
B) Another comment from a professional engaged in the mental health field suggested that the programme was shown with the stance of patronising and pathologising non-Western culture from the Western eyes. I understand his viewpoint. Practitioners working on cross-cultural issues often argue that Western practitioners sometimes dismiss cultural differences and impose their diagnoses on to non-western patients according to their professional standpoint when, in fact, the “patient” may not have problems. I feel that he made a very important point, particularly in multicultural Britain. However, in this case of Hikikomori, this is a big problem in Japanese society. As a Japanese person, I feel that this problem is not something we deal with in daily life and that it needs to be tackled.
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