Japan to Investigate "8050 Problem" of Aging Recluses

Tokyo, June 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan's welfare ministry will investigate the "8050 problem," which typically refers to a situation in which parents in their 80s support their "hikikomori" children in their 50s withdrawn from society, officials said. The ministry will look into the situations mainly of such people who had poverty-linked consultations with local governments. The results will be used to set policies to prevent social isolation. The research will be conducted not across Japan but in selected regions. The ministry will soon solicit applications from private companies to carry out the investigation. The aging of hikikomori recluses and their prolonged isolation from local communities are becoming a serious problem. A Cabinet Office survey released in 2019 estimated the number of social recluses aged between 40 and 64 at 613,000. The planned investigation will be conducted by several private companies, which will interview municipal officials and examine details of consultations sought by those in need. END