Jōhatsu

[2] Similar societal pressures have been theorized to contribute to the prevalence of hikikomori and a relatively high suicide rate.

At that time, it was used in the context of people who decided to escape unhappy marriages rather than endure formal divorce proceedings.

In 2015, Japan's National Police Agency had registered 82,000 missing persons, and 80,000 were found by the end of the year.

In comparison, that same year, Britain had 300,000 calls to report a missing person, although it has about half of the population of Japan.

[2] People become jōhatsu for a number of reasons, including depression, addiction, sexual impropriety, and desire for isolation.

Sometimes, it is used to escape domestic violence, gambling debt, religious cults, stalkers, employers, and difficult family situations.

San'ya, a skid row in Tokyo that previously housed thousands of day laborers, is reported to be a place of hiding for the jōhatsu.

[1] The 2024 documentary Johatsu by German director Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori is interviewing people involved in the phenomenon, as well as the related yonige-ya services.