Parents whose offspring are in a state of "hikikomori," or social withdrawal, face a lack of public support, social stigma and financial difficulties, according to a survey compiled by a renowned education critic.
The issue has become increasingly serious due to the aging of the parents, according to Naoki Ogi, chief of the privately run Center for Clinical Research on School Development, located in the western Tokyo suburb of Machida.
Ogi surveyed 585 parents whose offspring had withdrawn from society and found that 82 percent of them were 50 years old or older. The average age of the respondents' offspring was 26.6, with 60 percent in their late 20s and 30s, said Ogi, who unveiled the poll results at a news conference Tuesday in a Tokyo hotel.