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Japanese politicians have recently expressed growing concern about the rising numbers of a section of society aged roughly between 15 and 34 known both in Japan and globally by the acronym NEET (Not In Education, Employment or Training), as the government desperately tries to reboot the employment market as part of its bid to yank the world's third- largest economy out of recession and back on a recovery path.
As a recent report released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed, there are currently an estimated 630,000 NEETs spanning the country, which is almost 2.5 percent of people in that age demographic, but while the figure has increased by around 40,000 young people each year over the past decade, private organizations believe that the contemporary figures are actually far higher, exceeding 1.5 million people.
Government reports have designated NEETs as being those who typically reject conventional models of society and adulthood in general. Whereas they've seen generations above them join escalator systems transporting them through various stages of education and delivering them automatically into the workplace to become"salarymen"or to seek further education to obtain more skills, or higher education to become more marketable to companies, for them, the NEETs, following such social constructs goes against the grain.
Keiko Gono, a prominent Tokyo-based sociologist, explained that in the past Japan was known for its system of"lifetime employment" meaning that essentially when an individual joined a company, they would spend their entire working days there, with their annual salary expanding yearly along with their bi-annual bonuses, and when they turn 60, they would end their career with a princely retirement package and enough money in the bank to see out their lives comfortably. "But then Japan's economic bubble burst and suddenly life for many people became a lot harder. Investments were lost, regular salaries and bonuses were cut and a lot of restructuring in business began to happen,"Gono told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Essentially this meant that rather than firing someone, a worker considered inefficient in their company would be moved to a different department perhaps with a stricter manager, sometimes to a different office, or even to a different part of the country, with previous privileges removed and certain incentives cut." "In some instances, power harassment in the work place in order to get them to quit of their own volition, so the companies didn' t have to pay redundancy money would occur, or measly early retirement packages were offered, so the individual could leave the company with a modicum of dignity and look for irregular employment."
She went on to say that for the first generation of NEETs, the "job for life" incentive all of a sudden didn't exist and the workforce, due to globalization was becoming increasingly competitive and those who couldn't, for whatever reasons, compete, be it due to educational qualifications or lack thereof, or for social or psychological reasons, opted to abstain from working or training, as the nation's peripheral labor force, comprising construction work and the like, as well as part-time jobs in the retail industry, offered limited security or stability, low pay and grueling work and schedules. "NEETs are believed by many, including some politicians, to be freeloading wasters, who are simply lazy and don't want to work for a living and contribute to society, and while for some this may indeed be the case, the phenomenon as it exists today, is far more complex,"Gono explained.
Tomo Morioka, 28, apart from a few part-time jobs in convenience stores, has never, since leaving education, been in gainful employment and survives through state benefits when he can receive them, but largely from handouts from his parents and other relatives. He lives in a single studio-type apartment on the outskirts of the Shinagawa district of central Tokyo and is wholly unapologetic about his situation. "Yes, I'm a NEET if that's what you want to call me and yes I' m a financial drain on my family and society to an extent. But if you were to ask me if I am to blame for my situation, I would have to answer a resounding no," Morioka told Xinhua. "I dropped out of university because I quickly realized that the Japanese education system is a complete waste of time and I was learning nothing that would prepare me or aid me to live anything approaching a worthwhile existence once I graduated,"he said, declining to mention the name of the university, although intimating it was a notable one. "In senior high school we spend the entire time cramming to pass this ridiculously difficult standardized test to enter a certain university. The test has nothing to do with the major we want to study and once we're in university it's like being in kindergarten again -- students spend more time and effort on their club and sports activities than they do on their studies, as graduating is basically automatic and job hunting is just a numbers game -- you interview at as many companies as you can, even if the industry has nothing to do with your major or your interests, and accept the first semi-decent offer that's made. And that becomes your life." "That's no life at all. I'd rather be jobless and homeless, which I kind of am," Morioka said.
Morioka had a few choice words to say about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the direction he has led the country in both economically and politically and said that, "If I were to find a job, and I could tomorrow, as it's not as if I'm stupid, why would I want my taxes to support a corrupt government that has no interest in taking care of its own people? For decades, the government has overspent and put the country in debt and now by raising taxes, we're supposed to pick up the pieces with lower incomes and higher prices? It's disgusting,"Morioka exclaimed.
Clearly disenchanted with society and particularly the government, those like Morioka, experts believe, comprise a significant proportion of NEETs in Japan who simply feel that becoming a part of the"machine"is completely futile and they are better off, emotionally, perhaps not financially, by opting out of work and education programs. "A disenfranchised youth is something the government, although the phenomenon hit the headlines in the early 2000s, has done little about compared to many, but not only, western governments, who have implemented a host of state-backed youth programs designed specifically for would-be NEETs to reengage in society in a way that is meaningful for them, ensures they have the choice to earn money in a way that fits their personality, rather than being bulldozed along a pre-determined travelator system." "These programs don't mollycoddle their participants, so junior workers and trainees all feel a sense of worth and real achievement at what they are doing,"Gono explained, highlighting cost-effective programs in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Sri Lanka that benefit young individuals and society through quid-pro-quo training, volunteer and work placement programs. "Some of the programs come with shared accommodation, which can be helpful for those with social interactive problems, for example -- this is something Japan needs to take a serious look at -- and other programs include nighttime accommodation and free meals, for example." "But the bottom line is, the would-be NEET is offered a viable, edifying and productive option to doing nothing, and this option comes with future choices and further opportunities for those for whom the regular system has failed or otherwise forgotten."
Regarding social problems, the"hikikomori" (or "shut-ins") phenomenon in Japan, that refers to the rapidly rising numbers of adolescents, teenagers and young adults who have isolated themselves from social life and rarely leave their homes, favoring life behind closed doors and on the Internet, also factors heavily in the NEET issue, explained the sociologist.
The NEET issue will remain a conundrum -- albeit it a simple one -- for the government to figure out, but will never be fully resolved until all the elements are dissected and addressed individually and from the stance that Japan is not a"perfect country"and one of the most important integrands are the hikikomori, she said. "To ensure society functions at its most productive level, more needs to be done to understand and help those with psychological and mental disorders. In this day and age its shameful for Japan, as a developed country and economic superpower, to still consider issues of mental health taboo. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, meaning society here has some serious social anxiety and issues of depression that need to be addressed on a national institutional level." "It's arrogant to sweep such issues under the carpet, but as long as this continues to happen, the numbers of hikikomori will continue to swell as will those feeling abandoned by society who form a significant portion of the nationwide NEET population," Gono said.
