[Post 669] Japan's Young Are Now Its Loneliest Generation, Overtaking The Old. Why? | Insight | Full Episode

Summary

Last November, the World Health Organisation declared loneliness a ‘Global Public Health Concern’. Meanwhile, Gen Zs are emerging as the loneliest generation ever.

Japan has a reputation as a lonely country, but here, there are more lonely people in their 20s and 30s than any other age group. An extreme expression of loneliness are the infamous “hikikomoris” – shut-ins who have isolated themselves from society. More join their ranks each year. 

But apart from this group, there are millions of other youths who experience alienation and loneliness. And with it comes a slew of social ills – from greater rates of depression, to falling marriage rates, to lower productivity. Social anxiety, the suffocating rat race and cultural stigma - Insight explores what is driving solitude in the Land of the Rising Sun.