A business that claims to help socially withdrawn people is being sued by a mother and daughter for allegedly taking the daughter from home by force and holding her against her will under the threat of violence.

According to the suit filed with the Tokyo District Court, the mother claims Tokyo-based Consultation Room for Anything did not help her daughter as advertised even though she paid around ¥5.7 million for its services under a three-month contract. She is demanding around ¥17 million in damages.

Businesses that target the parents of young people who avoid social contact and refuse to leave their homes have been on the rise. They claim to help hikikomori (socially withdrawn people) with training in new job skills, but some have been accused of engaging in forced detention and extracting huge sums of money for payment.