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Can the metaverse solve Japan’s “hikikomori” problem?
Research and consulting firm Yuri Group estimates that Japan can inject about $10 billion a year into its economy if even 10% of the nation’s 1.5 million hikikomori re-engage in the workforce via the metaverse.
“Hikikomori” is a Japanese word for individuals who seek extreme isolation by staying home and withdrawing from social life. It’s a complex social problem that has reduced the nation’s workforce while damaging the mental and physical health of those living reclusive lives.
In 2023, a state survey estimated that 1.5 million people in Japan live as hikikomori. That’s roughly 2% of the working-age population.
The Japanese government is exploring metaverse applications to address various social issues like hikikomori, as the communication ministry noted in its metaverse whitepaper.
But Will Fee, a researcher at Yuri Group, tells Magazine there’s not a lot of meat on the proposal’s bones. “Like national-level government pronouncements on all things Web3 in Japan, there’s a lot of sizzle and not much steak, with little detail on how these plans might be put into practice on the ground,” he says.
There are some local government policies already in place. In mid-2022, Edogawa Ward in Tokyo found that one in 76 of its inhabitants are living as hikikomori. One of the solutions developed by the ward is the Hikikomori Metaverse Place, though Fee describes the project as “fairly underwhelming.”
Although the Japanese have coined a term for it, the phenomenon isn’t unique to the country. In February, San Mateo County in California declared loneliness a public health crisis. Virtual worlds could at least help ensure shut-ins get some human contact.
Hikikori isn’t just Japan’s problem. (Yuri Group)
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