"Hikikomori" and Japan's Role in the World

Jul 2, 2008

Michael Zielenziger discusses Japan's hikikomori, bright young people who opt to live as shut-ins because they don't fit in a society of high conformity and low entrepreneurship.

Author Michael Zielenziger (Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation) discusses the sociology of Japan's hikikomori—bright, creative people in their working years who choose to live as shut-ins because they don't fit in a society of high conformity and low entrepreneurship. He believes that stagnant governance and a values crisis are weakening Japan's competitive position in the world.

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