[IANAD]

Did anyone notice that it is 0.4 percent of Japan's population?

As of 2010, about 2 percent of the U.S. adult population have a severe form of social phobia and have trouble leaving their house, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health: http://www.livescience.com/16216-outgoing-shy-personality-na...

It's not coming to the west. It's more here than there.

I don't know about it being the fault of the education system, though.

[joshuahaglund]

The number is limited to people aged 15-39. I can't figure out what percent that is, maybe someone with a wolfram alpha pro account can do it:

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=population+of+japan+be...

Also, having trouble leaving the house vs: The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry defines hikikomori as people who have stayed at home for at least six months without going to school or work, or going out to interact with others.

[pyb]

Yes, they're not measuring the same things. "having trouble leaving the house" != "never leaving their room"

[guroot]

You just have to phrase it correctly: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=population+of+japan+ag...

It's 4.75% according to alpha based on a 2010 estimate.

[antmldr]

I think that's the 15-19 age group...

[guroot]

Ah, you're right I didn't look closely at the results. derp

[aidenn0]

It's about 45 million people aged 15-39, which would mean it's still under 2%

[mattnumbe]

I think that although SAD and being a recluse are linked, they aren't the same thing. It's interesting that the reported amount of people with SAD in the US is so high compared to Japan [0] so I also did a little searching in Japanese. It seems that because of the availability and access to psychological treatment in Japan[1], the reported number of cases of SAD is possibly 5 times lower than the number given (0.7%)

[0] WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium: 2004

[1]http://pax.moo.jp/sadjournal/2014/01/24/日本人は社会不安障害にならない？/

[Pica_soO]

The world outside simply is hell. You can have it.

[coldtea]

>The world outside simply is hell.

You'd be surprised.

[prawn]

I wonder if the social phobia is equivalent in both populations, but that Japan is (however it may be) more accepting of aversion to a social life?

[zhemao]

This implies that hikkikomori are accepted in Japanese society. They are definitely not. Which is part of the reason for their social withdrawal.

[prawn]

I meant in the sense that perhaps parents, with children displaying early signs of social phobia, are more accommodating. Are families too enabling of behaviour that can become entrenched?

[zhemao]

I mean, what are they supposed to do, kick their children out of the house?

In the end, the genesis of Hikkikomori's reclusion is their feeling of having failed at life. They can't deal with society's expectations of them, so they withdraw from it completely. There's not much parents can do to change that feeling of failure.

It's not really a distinctly Japanese phenomenon. I'm sure you can find just as many young recluses in every developed country. Japan just found a cute term for it, that's all.

[prawn]

Gentle prodding.

"Hey, we're going out to hike a trail. It's only for the morning. Please come along with us."

"Dad's going to the baseball but has no one to go with him. Can you go too so he doesn't get lost?"

[Bartweiss]

"as those who have shut themselves in their homes for at least seven years accounted for about 35 percent of the total"

The US measure of severe phobia is one thing, but the cutoffs being used for the phenomenon in Japan are way stricter.

[guard-of-terra]

But what percentage of country's youth?

I imagine it will turn into something like 3%.