A symposium was held for families and supporters of hikikomori to discuss how to provide support in the future, and appealed for the strengthening of support for hikikomori.
The government estimates that there are 15.64 million people between the ages of 146 and <> nationwide, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is currently formulating guidelines for local government officials who provide support.
At a symposium held in Chiba City on the 4th by a group of families of hikikomori people, a mother who has two sons, aged 29 and 24, who continue to be hikikomori, talked about her experience.
In it, he recalled his experience of going to a specialist counseling and being told to bring his son with him, and when he refused, the counseling was interrupted, and appealed, "I want a society where people can say help instead of putting up with it when they are in pain."
Then, journalist Masaki Ikegami suggested that a law specializing in measures against hikikomori should be developed and the support system should be strengthened, citing a series of cases in which consultation desks have not been established by the government and have been passed around.
Kiyoto Fujioka, president of the KHJ National Federation of Hikikomori Families, said, "We have come to see the reality that people and their families are not connected to support, and we would like to continue to promote activities to create an environment where it is easy to consult with them."