Hikikomori asked what they would do if their parents, for most their only source of income, were to die overwhelmingly gave responses such as “commit suicide” or “starve to death.”
An Osaka University researcher studying the uncertain number of hikikomori Japan harbours soon discovered many hikikomori regarded the only way out of their miserable parasitism was death.
He found that amongst the “first generation” hikikomori, now aged 40-45, many will over the next decade face the prospect of losing their parents as they begin to succumb to old age, and perhaps more importantly their pensions will no longer exist to support them.
Asking these hikikomori what they would do were their parents to pass away, he found the majority of answers were along the lines of “commit suicide” or “starve to death,” with only a small minority prepared to finally enter society as working adults.
Indeed, he claims that cases of hikikomori suicide for this reason have begun to come to light, not welcome news for a nation experiencing record levels of suicide.
Generally, the only way hikikomori are thought to be able to sustain themselves is through lavish parental indulgence, as Japan’s benefit system is inadequate to sustain such indolence for any great length of time.
With Japan’s ballooning population of pensioners desperately concerned about whether they will be able to extract enough taxes from the shrinking younger generations to support their lavish pensions, it seems media hysteria about hikikomori, NEETs and freeters is only set to grow.
News like this makes me sad…
Why havent they thought of giving them jobs that they can do without leaving their homes?
They can try being a mangaka or other kind of artist. I think it is not that hard.
A lot of them wouldn’t be artistic or have the imagination/creativity needed for that sort of thing. Besides I imagine most of them would just slack off anyway and go back to games or whatever they occupy themselves with.
“Who needs a job when i can play videogames all day?”
Think about it. Many hikikomoris suffer from the feeling of despair, depression and worthlessness brought on by Japanese society’s ideals that by every passing second are rising more and more into what we see as just plain unreachable. You can even say that beneath its facade, Japanese society actually encourages how these “lazy fatasses” will just kill themselves for the greater good.
Either let the hikkies die, or give them JOBS AND PEOPLE THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN.
In Japanese society it’s safe to assume that being a NEET for just a short time is basically an eternal death sentence. What do you expect
you just say get a job, what fin job? ive tried mcd, cleaning up from when people get sick at bar, shoveling horse poop i.e. cleaning barns, walmart w.e. you name it, i cant get hired= cant do anything about it. maybe if some one used a computer or television before they would know about the economic down turn, not everyone can just get a job, even if you can not every job will pay enough to live, sweet i could work a full time job, and a part time job, and still not have any money for anything never have time to go to college to get a better job, just work dead end jobs being totally degrading intuill die at like 40-50 because fin work like 14-18hrs a day cant afford real food, or medicine or anything really, great option there. there are worse options than being a hikikomori its called being an amerkian, just waiting to get kicked out so can kill self. + its nice when your forced to go outside and apply for jobs nd stuff, just to find out big suprise obviously dont get the job, just to get yelled at for not getting it, and there all pissed at you ashamed of you, claiming your lazy and w.e.