Takeshi Arai says he was a 'hikikomori,' or a socially isolated adolescent cocooned at home, for five years until he turned 20 in June.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20060913f2a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='187'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B> Takeshi Arai –

, 20, takes part in a government-sponsored job training program in Fussa, Tokyo, in early August. KYODO PHOTO

After dropping out of school at 14, Arai said, he mostly spent his time watching television in the living room of his parent's home in Saitama, stepping outside only once or twice a month, usually in the morning to avoid bumping into his old schoolmates.