Disability News Japan Podcast: Are Japan’s Hikikomori Unwell, Disabled or None of the Above?

By Barrier Free Japan

February 1 2023

YOKOHAMA – An estimated 20,000 people between 40 and 64 in Yokohama, who have no illness or disability, have mostly stopped going out for at least six months, according to a survey by the city government.

In the survey, nearly 40% of those residents who are in a state of “hikikomori,” or social reclusion, said their condition began when they started avoiding leaving home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Episode Notes: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2023/01/30/nearly-40-of-yokohamas-hikikomori-recluses-stopped-going-out-due-to-covid-survey/