Japanese Features puzzling practice Society and Customs

Parasite Singles: the SERIOUS 8050 Problem

Our previous post "Parasite Singles," which was posted almost a decade ago, introduced a puzzling behavior Japanese people find acceptable.  From other viewpoints, this could be judged "weird," but we understand that it is their cultural practice, right?

Photo by Alexas Fotos used under CC

These days, a more serious problem has gained a lot of attention and tolled on Japanese society: the 8050 problem.  This problem is somewhat different from the "Parasite Singles," who depend on their parents even though they are capable of being independent physically and financially.  They choose that kind of "living with parents" lifestyle for their own convenience (like the 50-year-old lady exemplified in "Parasite Singles").

However, the common denominator of "the 8050 problem" is "dependence" of children on their parents.  In a nutshell, children in their 50s are fed and financially supported by their parents in their 80s.  As you can easily imagine, it is not easy at all for old parents to take care of their adult (middle-aged) children.   

This problem is actually very sad and more depressing.  Have you ever heard of the word "Hikikomori," which has been well-known worldwide these days?   This is the key word for the 8050 problem.

"Hikikomori" people are those who are retreated and isolated from social interactions.  For whatever reason, they were hurt in their youth and then started to confine themselves in the childhood room of their parents.  They might not have been good in interpersonal relationships at work or with friends.  Or they could not feel confident in themselves when they were younger.   

Even a few decades after the retrieval, they cannot leave the house, or their room in the worst case.  Nor can they hold a job.  In other words, they have no choice but to live with their parents.  They have to depend on their parents. 

Their own room is cozy and the food is given by their parents.  As long as their parents can afford to support them, there is no problem.  However, things would change when parents have some difficulty supporting their adult children.  Physically frail parents cannot look after their adult children.  Sickness and death of parents definitely cause a financial wreck.

Some "Hikikomori" people do not know how to deal with their sick and dead parents.  In the worse case scenario, since they lack of the very basic understanding that parents' death should be timely reported, they keep the corpse in the closet or leave it on the floor.  It is illegal to keep the body in the house, so they end up being arrested.

Other cases involve some kind of fraud done by such adult children.  Once their old parents die, children cannot get pension from the government any longer, which means there is no way to support themselves.  Even with the knowledge of death being reported and dealt well with, they neglect their duty so as to collect no-longer-available pension money.  Without that money, they would get into a huge trouble. 

We understand it is not easy to solve this kind of depressive problem.  Unfortunately, Japanese society has been experiencing other problems its super-high level of aging society poses, such as budget shortage for social welfare.  However, "the 8050 problem" is NOT a "skeleton in the closet," BUT seems a societal problem, right?  What do you think?