The ruling LDP is contemplating a plan which would see hikikomori, NEETs, the unemployed and other undesirables bundled off to army boot camps to learn such useful trades as tree felling and ditch digging.
The issue of the supposedly endemic hikikomori (socially isolated people typically not in conventional employment) and NEET problems has vexed politicians desperate to shore up tax revenues for some time; a recent law ensured they would get help whether liked it or not, but this new proposal goes a step further.
The plan will see unemployed from throughout the nation gathered up and collected in military camps, where they will live for six month periods.
The state will there feed and house them, and they will be drilled in the sort of pork barrel schemes which have been so successful in lifting Japan out of its economic malaise; they will work tending forests and abandoned farmland, as well as gain qualifications useful in the construction industry, such as in the operation of heavy machinery.
The politicians proposing the measure all happen to be leading figures involved with the military, agriculture, or construction. It will be tacked on to an upcoming economic stimulus bill.
The scheme is modeled directly on the organisations formed by President Roosevelt to attempt to combat the impact of the Depression.
There is at this stage apparently no talk of making the scheme compulsory, although just how they will get notoriously recalcitrant hikikomori into the camps is not clear. Miruku may not be enough…
Via Asahi.
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This kind of event seems like it would be good source material for an anime.
Also I like how if we move to Japan and can't find employment we may be able to join the army. I would love to fight for Japanese interests, so long as they are defending against other countries and UNICEF trying to take the loli.
This is proof that politicians the world over are amazingly stupid.
They tried this in the US with troubled teens it was an epic failure.
All it did was make said troubled teens even more violent and hateful and gave them a bit of a paramilitary mindset.
These so called hikikomori are mentally troubled and a boot camp would do them no good at all it would only serve to farther damage them.
I'm no shrink but I know enough about psychology to know this is the exact opposite of what you need to do.
It seems the idiots who thought of this plan must have failed remedial psychology 101.
Want to deal with the issue fix your school system and address some very serious cultural issues in the work place these are the root of the hikikomori problem.
Though this may have contributed to the defeat of the LDP by the DJP.
Yeah, uh, I used to know a guy who went to saint Johns military academy, he used to smoke drugs all the times and skip school. He's now an engineer working for NASA and he earns at least a quarter mil a year. He also got a distinguished service cross, thats like, one step below the medal of honor.
Not that this has anything whatsoever to do with the article of course. I'm just going on a tangent here.
Speaking of Miruku-chan. I wonder if Raiken is gonna post an article about her new video? Now the hikkis can enjoy her VOICE as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzMUk3EX7TU&feature=player_embedded [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzMUk3EX7TU&feature=player_embedded]
Will take a look, thanks...
There's a niconico link on the blog as well, should you decide it's newsworthy. The comments are already flowing.
LOL SLAVERY
Two words: Cultural Revolution. When I read this, I almost saw the ghost of Mao laughing. The notion of forcing the hikis and freeters out of their houses into WPA-style work camps has been done before, just not with such a recalcitrant population with obvious neuroses and 'maladjustments'(?).
Of course, like many commentators noted, this is an allopathic approach rather than a holistic one. I wonder if they'll consult with the Koreans, because of the mandatory military service there. The actual correlative problems with hikis/NEETs are many; anyone who has done even a cursory amount of reading the research lit on hikis knows this.
Interestingly, the US psych community has under-addressed the issue of pathological reclusion; Avoidant Personality Disorder is vaguely defined in the DSM IV and a paucity of research into treatment outcomes is available in the literature. So at least the Japanese are a step ahead of the US insofar as attempting a systemic approach. Well, at least they aren't throwing meds at them like they did the 'utsu' crowd, at the behest of Amerikan pharmaceutical companies...
"There is at this stage apparently no talk of making the scheme compulsory, although just how they will get notoriously recalcitrant hikikomori into the camps is not clear. Miruku may not be enough…"
Time for some moe marketing to be of good use for the Japanese government. Maybe they could use Strike Witch to entice some Hikkimoris and NEETs
I cant wait for the massive suicides and neets doing cyberterrorism to the gov
Mmm, reminds me of Singapore and Malaysia's 'national service' programme. I heard all 18-year-olds were subject to military training and character building....community service or sumpin lyk that.
I think this is fun, some other countries do it and it sure as hell better than being forced into the army reserve.
You enter the camp a NEET and leave a NEET with awesome skills and bragging rights.
Its not a bad idea if they will let them chose what army career to take engineering/maintenance/mechanic or computer engineering/designer/programmer get through some form of lite basic training then ship them off to army collage.
I would join up for that..... and even have to put up with people for it....
Many NEETs and hikkikomori are good with computers or electronics; teach them skills in those kinds of fields, not something completely irrelevant!
I suspect the government would be rather afraid of that... Think about it...
oh noes!! i will never give you my moneyz!! you will never catch me alive~!!
thank the internet god i don't live there. wwwwwwww
Hmm.. why not use the Nintendo WII to train them? in doing those stuff then they wouldn't have to leave there homes? (>_<)
Two words: Cultural Revolution. When I read this, I almost saw the ghost of Mao laughing. The notion of forcing the hikis and freeters out of their houses into WPA-style work camps has been done before, just not with such a recalcitrant population with obvious neuroses.
Of course, like many commenters noted, this is an alapathic approach rather than a holistic one. I wonder if they'll consult with the Koreans, because of the mandatory military service there. The actual correlative problems are many; anyone who has done even a cursory amount of reading the research lit on hikis knows this. Interestingly, the US psych community still hasn't addressed the issue of pathological reclusion; so at least the Japanese are a step ahead of the US insofar as attempting a systemic approach. Well, at least they aren't throwing meds at them like they did the 'utsu' crowd, at the behest of Amerikan pharmaceutical companies...
this willl be named like this.
NHK NI YOUKOSO 2: BATTLEFIELD XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Yes, give them education for industry with 20% unemployment, good job! After the 6 months are over they'll just go back from whence they came with yet another useless certification. The ones in their 40s and 50s driving fancy cars that blame the victims have a nasty surprise coming for them in a decade or two.
This sounds reminiscent of the WPA.
Man, I want to join the army!
ship them to Australia.
oh wait wrong century...
i am not notoriously recalcitrant. my recalcitrance is very subtle and make no mistake.
Well, thsi is just perfect!! Actually Japanese got many hidden talents...and as far they learn war in the game, this is the chance they can learn war in reality!! BANZAII!!
Somehow, I really don't see this doing anything productive.
If anything, they'll only want to avoid the real world even more, having had a taste of the extreme end of it.
hey, that actually may be good idea, for once.
Now all they need is a spin-off of a Japanese army general of renown named Edajima Heihachi to lead them.
see what a capitalist free market go wrong. the utopia of a socialist ideology perhaps would be the answer, ones greed is others misery.
Not trying to say its a bad idea, but just think about it....throwing a person, that hates work and being around people, in to a place where they are forced to work and be around people.
some how i see a lot of suicides happening.....
Japanese military... LOL.
Battle Royale, anyone? :D
Long story: During my army days I was a torpedo launcher loader inside the 40yo destroyer. At some point I spend over 3 months almost not-leaving my chamber. Sleeping on torpedos, leaving only to shitter and mess hall (both under deck), so I didn't see any of the sun for all that time. After that, when I walked outside I was shocked. Totaly blinded by the sun, almost paranoic about that vast world outside, wanting to get back. It took me few days to get use to living in the outside world again (my good old friend, vodka helped me big time).
Now, imagine those sisis, weak japs, after living coffined in their rooms, probably for many, many years, forced to go work outside.
Hell, I would pay good money to see that
I smell a Mari-tan.
http://i39.tinypic.com/2e2p003.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/28227gi.jpg
I think learning how to reclaim abandoned land would be good for them. They prefer to be alone anyways, and if they can make some money and be involved in society while they're at it, I'm all for it.
I smell conspiracy~
Expect Japan's suicide rate to go up.
No point dragging out the useless people...
Leave people who want to be alone ALONE.
we'll see sagara sousuke soon
"now youre just a useless *beep* *beep* and *beep*, but once you get out of here you'll be a weapon, lalala....."
That's not a "pork barrel" plan. "Pork barrel" means when a politician makes the government start a not-necessarily useless program in his home area to help himself be re-elected because of the money it brings to his grateful electorate. A useless "make-work" scheme is a "boondoggle".
These politicians owe their seats to construction companies so it most certainly is pork barrel politics at work.
They going to be kamikaze pilot after 6 month
pff... days of kamikazes are way past, these days fighter planes are too expensive to make em only for one way trip(pilots are a minor cost)
NHK's conspiracy is coming for us! Commit suicide before it is too late!
This is what will happen :D
No, seriously I wouldn't want to live in a world where they force me working if I don't want to..that is slavery. And there is no value in living without anime and games. I'm disappointed in humankind as a whole to that level that I no longer want to leave my home, and then someone who is part of that humankind comes and wants to force me out? Yeah right obviously I'll listen to him...is what they think? They still have no brains I see...human is a strange kind of animal...can survive without brains...
Basement dwellers are unsustainable. When their parents are dead they will be unable to care for themselves. That likely motivates the desire to deal with the problem a lot more than dodgy ideas about tax revenues. No one wants to deal with an influx of middle aged crazy people with an expensive figurine habit leaving their caves for the first time, after their parents all die of disappointment.
SLAAAAAVES
Yeah...this will not end well.
Six months without Internet, moe, anime, manga, games, hentai for hikikomori and NEETs? They would either go crazy or commit suicide before the six months is over lol
The prefect weapon,jack them up and toss them in any hostile nation, they will have it burned tot eh ground before noon!
They dont, but i will ~_~
If only the military was this moe...
Eila~
They should have a "Commando Witches" series.
Ghost Witches? Splinter Witches? EndWitch?
I was thinking Recon Witches.
Cat Shit One will have to suffice.
i like this idea. staying inside the house 24/7 sucks. gotta get out sometimes =/
No, you don't. Welcome to a different lifestyle choice than yours. It's not wrong at all, you just don't understand it. This new "cure the hikikomori" thing is absolute bullshit.
If I can't bring myself to go outside, it's for a fucking reason.
lol, the guys' probably just scared to go outside. that's all =D
THis is coming from soemone who dose not get out...while the sun it dose burns...getting out is good for you...even if you do not likez it >>
Much as you want to defend your own point of view, I feel you should just look at the "benefits" of being locked up at home for years on end. I'm sure with the rise of the internet, productive actions such as earning money can be procured just be remaining at home. However, if the reason for staying is nothing more than an unhealthy obsession for one's hobby, is that truly a reason worth defending?
That aside, if the reason for wanting to be stay at home is medical, such as mental illnesses that arise due to social abuse, shouldn't a "cure" be in order? Agreed, this article doesn't seem to be directed at this group of people (tree felling?), but isn't it a small step in a positive direction?
Furthermore, it's not one or two isolated cases we're referring to here. It's a whole culture of NEETs and hikikomoris. This phobia that has spread through the ranks of the japanese (and many other parts of the world too, but more commonly japanese), at times even being perpetuated by their favourite hobbies. Left untouched, I would dare say that it would be an adverse impact on culture and economy.
And as much as you should stand up for your beliefs, how about considering the emotions of the dependents/parents of these individuals? The inaction of the former has led to the suffering of latter to a very great extent. Sure you'd argue your point if you stand in the shoes of these individuals, but how about empathising with those watching helplessly from the sidelines?
Also, if you are "generating revenue" with this internet job, why aren't you paying taxes on it? Because I'm sure the nation's infrastructure, the police keeping your home safe, the cities resources that you use... none of that costs money surely!
*Ugh, I almost regret mentioning the police because now, I know someone is going to start that whole "fuck the po-lice" shit that seems to be prevalent with people who have little else to do than be counter-productive.
Maybe you missed the part where it said "If I can't bring myself to go outside, it's for a fucking reason".
Actually, you seemed to have missed the part where people should try and accept others have different lifestyle choices than you.
Actually, did you even comprehend anything that was said at all? Or did you just spew whatever came to you without doing that thing that makes your brain hurt so much?
i actually had fun and learnt a few things reading your comments
This is exactly why you will never get laid. You will die a virgin.
reason or not, who cares, if you don't want to go outside, you should be forced to do so
Locking yourself in your house and do nothing isn't a "lifestyle choice" its called being lazy.
If you cant bring yourself to go outside you cant make money, nor make a living. So how can you have a "lifestyle choice" if you can't make a living.
They should just kill them.
They are worthless anyways.
I bet that what germans was saying about jews around 1933.
Don't you see that this might turn out to be another holocaust if things go the wrong way.
Are we supposed to assume that YOU are a respecatble productive person and that your ideas should be followed?
.....This just in - Suicides on the rise in NEET/ Hikimori havens across Japan. You know Obama would never pull this crap - cause then people would actually be working for their FREE hand-outs- lol.
i actually learned about Obama's plan for right wing nutjobs that siad it was going to compulsory. Anyway, it sounds like an awesome idea that i will totally sign up for, especially if there is training for heavy equipment involved. I do a lot of construction and logistics work but it's hard to get ahead without any heavy equipment certification. I can't afford to pay for training and none of the companies i work for have any opening that they are willing to train for.
I completely agree. Those politicians and lobbyists deserve to die a horrible death.
Well played.
permise me to second you good sir
true indeed. :)
lol?
Mmm, I think we should get a little use out of them before killing them.
Make them build the gallows they'll hang on first, for example.
>implying that NEETS and hikikomoris should all be put to death
I think you might be lost.
Now come on, don't make them sink to the level of China.
I take it you are talking about yourself?
Can they survive the ordeal?
Haha, i wanna see them do it! They can't go outside their own bedroom, but they will go feed the farm animals? Haha, i wanna see the political bloats make them do it!
one you get them to the army camp its easy from there on. in army they can easily make you do stuff you never thought you could manage. in most cases ones own will gets between an accomplishment and you, in the army there is only the sergeants will
This could make a good tv-show. O.O
Yeah, "Socially withdrawn Nerds fight in WWIII"
and hilariously win
Lmao xD
I smell a reality show. With Japanese guest celebrities commenting on the drama.
And being shielded by the military when a hikkikimori goes ape shit.
that, would have been a lol*able ending to NHKniYokoso XD
Independent people have a right to live their lives the way they want. Japan isn't communistic country, is it?
are hikkikomori independent? they dont earn their own wages
The difference between Roosevelt's New Deal work projects and this is that people back then were *willing* to work, to bring home something for their families. Hikkikomori and NEETs, on the other hand, would rather *not* work or would rather work from home than go outside and actually see the sun.
That said and out of the way, I'd like to see how the LDP manages to force people out of their own homes. I foresee bloodshed...
im rather intrigued, who pays their bills and buys their food. i think overcaring parents are at fault here. hunger will make anyone work eventually
Isn't this essentially legalized slavery?
I love the irony that people who come to this site think they're better than everyone else. I became agoraphobic for two years after a plane crash killed my friends that I was supposed to be on. I didn't like having to spell out why I was like that to people who didn't understand and just thought I was lazy. Guess I can't expect any better from a site populated by a bunch of pre-pubescent teens.
i wonder, if you were put in the middle of large open area, like a desert, how long would you continue to be afraid and shivering, a day? i bet you would get bored and used to it in few hours. for anyone there are easy and hard paths to choose, hard ones are more rewarding in most cases, yet so few choose them. don't you think it would be best for everyone if ppl were forced to take the most rewarding paths even against their will. "you will thank me for it later" if you will
Speak for yourself.
Welcome to the internet. You think it's any different on other websites? Don't get your hopes up. Unless you specifically go to some help or support website. Or a religious one or something. Don't bash Sankaku, ignorant idiots are everywhere. The power of the internet allows them to be ignorant even though they know they are being so. Do you think they say these things in their real lives?
That being said, I agree. There are people who are talking shit about hikikomori when they don't understand it at all. But you SHOULD expect that when you go on the internet, so there is no need complaining about it.
There was also no need to explain why you were a hikikomori. It's not going to make anyone feel sorry for you and suddenly change their opinions on the topic.
You should also be aware that hikikomori can be loud and obnoxious in their online personas...
and such, my roommate is a perfect example
Must be awesome to have a roomate who just wastes your bills and hardly contributes to anything. *sarcasm*
>>Do you think they say these things in their real lives?
Of course not, they don't HAVE real lives. They never say anything because they are socially inept.
Hey rockbottom.
"I love the irony that people who come to this site think they're better than everyone else."
Oh yes, the irony is that particularly you come to the site claiming to be better than everyone else thanks to having some mental problem, better not only from those who critic hikikomori while not being one, but also from the hikikomori themselves. Your main issue is not agoraphobia, but hipocrisy.