The hikikomori are written about a lot in the Japanese and western press, and I think it's great that Japanese society is making a conscious effort to reach out

The hikikomori are written about a lot in the Japanese and western press, and I think it's great that Japanese society is making a conscious effort to reach out to people and see how they can be made more happy and productive. The stats in the article are probably correct, but leaves out some very important context. - Many Japanese adults live with their parents. Multi-generational households are quite common, especially outside of the big cites. This is not new. In fact, it is becoming less common, not more. - Japan has an official unemployment rate of about 2%, but for almost all jobs there are more openings than applicants. From the article: > For the class of 2021, the ratio is set to dip to 1.53 jobs per graduate, from 1.83 this year. “It’s like the employment ice age,” Kubo says. “It’s happening again.” The situation for these people is not nearly as dire as many try to paint it.