Category: Hikikomori

Disability Hikikomori Intellectual disabilities Japan

1.14 million people with intellectual disabilities living at home in Japan, an increase of 170,000, highest ever number, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Reports

On May 31st, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced the estimated number of people with intellectual disabilities living at home or elsewhere nationwide as of December 2022, is reaching 1.14 million.

This is an increase of 178,000 from the previous survey in 2004 and the largest number ever. The Ministry analyzes that “one of the factors may be the increase in the acquisition of the Rehabilitation Certificate, mainly for infants and children.

Disability Hikikomori Japan Podcast

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

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.