Nippon Foundation Estimates 360,000 Young People in Japan have been Diagnosed with Developmental Disorders

From The Fukushi Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan

April 24 2025

TOKYO – On March 27, the Nippon Foundation announced an estimate that 364,000 young people between the ages of 20 and 25 have been diagnosed with developmental disorders. It said that 870,000 people believe that they have the disorder even though they have not been diagnosed.

In order to understand the actual situation of young people who are unable to adapt to university life or job hunting, an online survey was conducted in November 2024. 17,398 people responded.

According to the survey, 14% of people felt that they had strong difficulties with university life and daily life. It was estimated that the number of people between the ages of 20 and 25 nationwide is about 1 million. Similarly, 5.1% of people have been diagnosed with developmental disorders, and 12.2% believe that they have the disorder, which is estimated to be 360,000 and 870,000, respectively.

Among the problems at school that are typical of people with strong feelings of distress, prominent were “difficulty making presentations in front of others,” “difficulty putting one’s thoughts into words,” “hardly able to speak during discussions,” and “not having a place to belong on campus.”

The most common problems in everyday life were “lack of self-confidence,” “not having friends to talk to about one’s worries,” “panic when unable to handle multiple instructions at part-time work,” and “difficulty cleaning and tidying up.”

When asked about the support they received in their job-hunting, 8.9% of respondents cited “consultations at the university’s disability support office.” 4.6% cited “job consultations for people with disabilities outside of university.”

The Nippon Foundation states, “Students who are highly troubled hit a snag early on. They need support in their daily lives from an early stage, not just until job-hunting time.”