Involuntary unemployment (非自発的失業) in Japan refers to individuals who are willing and able to work but cannot secure employment due to macroeconomic factors like recessions or industry contractions. Crucially, this metric excludes NEETs and hikikomori, as these groups fall outside the labor force due to their disengagement from job-seeking activities.
Key Differences:
Category | Involuntary Unemployment | NEETs | Hikikomori |
---|---|---|---|
Job-seeking | Actively seeking employment | Not seeking employment[6] | No job-seeking intent[2][4] |
Social engagement | Maintains social connections | May retain social ties[5] | Extreme social withdrawal[2] |
Primary cause | Economic conditions (e.g., layoffs) | Mixed (voluntary/involuntary)[5] | Psychological/societal factors[4] |
Why Exclusion Matters:
- Labor force definitions: Involuntary unemployment statistics only count individuals actively participating in the labor market. NEETs and hikikomori are classified as “not in the labor force” by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare[3][6].
- Policy implications:
- Unemployment benefits target job seekers
- NEET/hikikomori support requires psychological services and reintegration programs[3][5]
- Economic measurement:
- Japan’s unemployment rate (2.6% as of 2023) excludes ~320,000 hikikomori aged 15-29[3]
- NEETs account for ~1.7% of youth population (2024 data) but aren’t counted in unemployment figures[6]
This distinction helps policymakers develop targeted interventions:
- Unemployment: Job creation, retraining programs
- NEET/Hikikomori: Mental health support, community outreach[4][5]
Data shows only 10% of hikikomori maintain any employment (usually remote work), while NEETs display varying degrees of job-seeking behavior[3][4]. True involuntary unemployment therefore represents a separate demographic facing distinct systemic challenges.
引用:
[1] The NEET, What’s up with Japan’s Youth? – YABAI http://yabai.com/p/2715
[2] Hikikomori – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori
[3] [PDF] Investing in Youth – JAPAN – OECD https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2017/05/investing-in-youth-japan_g1g7a8e0/9789264275898-en.pdf
[4] The NEET and Hikikomori spectrum: Assessing the risks and … https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4540084/
[5] NEET vs. Hikikomori: Understanding Japan’s Social Phenomena https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/neet-vs-hikikomori-understanding-japans-social-phenomena-47b3500269c3
[6] NEET – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEET
[7] [QooPedia] NEET vs Hikikomori – QooApp : Anime Game Platform https://news.qoo-app.com/en/post/26781/qoopedia-neet-vs-hikikomori
[8] NEETs’ Challenge to Japan: Causes and Remedies https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09386491.2007.11826943
[9] Meet Japan’s NEET: Young People Choosing to Be Unemployed https://guidable.co/work/meet-japans-neet-young-people-choosing-to-be-unemployed/
[10] Proposing diagnostic criteria for hikikomori https://www.hikikomori-lab.com/tools/pathological_en
[11] [PDF] Japan Labor Review Volume 12, Number 3, Summer 2015 https://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2015/JLR47_all.pdf
[12] [PDF] The Characteristics of Youth Not in Education, Employment or … https://www.jil.go.jp/profile/documents/m.wong.pdf
[13] Does the Hikikomori Syndrome of Social Withdrawal Exist in … https://www.jmaj.jp/detail.php?id=10.31662%2Fjmaj.2021-0217
[14] [PDF] Understanding affluent male NEETs (not in employment https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/download/9308291871ee2e651c818c3f36a2368521693c3ee9d0e9becb127e63f3b71967/1076981/JPGordon%20thesis.pdf
[15] What is a NEET? – Japan Powered https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/what-is-a-neet
[16] Meaning of 引きこもり – ( – ひきこもり – ) – in Japanese https://www.nihongomaster.com/japanese/dictionary/word/62229/hikikomori-%E5%BC%95%E3%81%8D%E3%81%93%E3%82%82%E3%82%8A-%E5%BC%95%E3%81%8D%E7%AF%AD%E3%82%8A-%E5%BC%95%E7%AF%AD%E3%82%8A-%E5%BC%95%E3%81%8D%E7%B1%A0%E3%82%8A-%E5%BC%95%E7%B1%A0%E3%82%8A-%E5%BC%95%E3%81%8D%E7%B1%A0%E3%82%82%E3%82%8A-%E3%81%B2%E3%81%8D%E3%81%93%E3%82%82%E3%82%8A
[17] [PDF] Exploring Hikikomori Subjectivities in Digital Spaces – eScholarship https://escholarship.org/content/qt7j83v802/qt7j83v802.pdf
[18] Japan’s NEET Problem – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeaSYHxiO14
[19] Hikikomori (Japan) – – Global Informality Project https://www.in-formality.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hikikomori_%28Japan%29
[20] The NEET and Hikikomori spectrum: Assessing the risks … – Frontiers https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01117/full
[21] The Ecology of Withdrawal. Commentary: The NEET and Hikikomori … https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00764/full
22 NEETs’ Challenge to Japan: Causes and Remedies https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242292037_NEETs’_Challenge_to_Japan_Causes_and_Remedies
[23] The relationship between Hikikomori risk factors and social … https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9812485/
[24] [PDF] Analysis of Consultation Records at Hikikomori (Social withdrawal … https://www.jspn.or.jp/uploads/uploads/files/english/122-9_P658-665_Akihiro_NISHIO.pdf
[25] [PDF] Exploring Hikikomori Subjectivities in Digital Spaces – eScholarship https://escholarship.org/content/qt7j83v802/qt7j83v802_noSplash_810733c61f369827b0a47d928fb8c015.pdf?t=rgwob9
[26] Hikikomori, a Phenomenon of Social Withdrawal and Isolation in … https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=62784
[27] The NEET and Hikikomori spectrum: Assessing the risks and … https://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/handle/2433/214324
[28] Youth social withdrawal behavior (hikikomori): A systematic review … https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0004867415581179
29 The NEET and Hikikomori spectrum: Assessing the risks and … https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281205104_The_NEET_and_Hikikomori_spectrum_Assessing_the_risks_and_consequences_of_becoming_culturally_marginalized
[30] Society’s shut-ins are getting older – Japan Today https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/societys-shut-ins-are-getting-older
[31] Stagnant Youth: the NEET, freeter, and hikikomori phenomena https://blogs.uoregon.edu/postbubbleculture/2015/04/05/stagnant-youth-the-neet-freeter-and-hikikomori-phenomena/
[32] Hikikomori, A Japanese Culture-Bound Syndrome of Social … https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4912003/
[33] Hikikomori (引きこもり – Social Withdrawal) https://blog.kano.ac/2023/08/15/hikikomori/
[34] EXAMINING THE CULTURAL MARGINALISATION THEORY OF … https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/psysoc/63/1/63_2020-A120/_pdf
[35] Japan clarifies the differences between NEET Hikikomori Freeter … https://www.reddit.com/r/hikikomori/comments/g6w9lp/japan_clarifies_the_differences_between_neet/