The Ministry Of Solitude Established In Japan

In an effort to address mental health problems, the Japanese national government established the Ministry of Loneliness and recently appointed Tetsushi Sakamoto as minister in charge.

Japan has enthusiastically welcomed the founding of this Ministry of Solitude which aims to change the situation of many people living in isolation. A phenomenon that has been further accentuated by the extent to which the pandemic forces us to maintain social distance. In short, it is a response to the worrying numbers of suicides and social isolation.

Many health professionals have praised this measure, as Japan has found itself faced with deteriorating mental health among the elderly, women of working age, part-time workers and the unemployed.

Ministry of Loneliness: A Response to the Rise in Suicides

The pandemic has intensified the phenomenon, but Japanese society has been accusing the blow of the absence of social relations for years. As a result of the pandemic, thousands of people have remained away from the work environment they were used to. The social contact of the Japanese has been further reduced.

Students are afraid and feel distressed. Many of them have lost their part-time jobs and cannot pay for their studies in an extremely competitive society. To face economic difficulties are also the workers of the entertainment industry, the hotel industry and then the women, who usually do the less profitable jobs, as employees in the service sector.

Women have been hit hard by the current situation

Of particular concern is the rise in the suicide rate among women. Many of them, in fact, have found themselves isolated from the environment with which they interacted and often suffer a heavier workload at home or have to take care of elderly relatives. One category that is particularly suffering is that of single mothers, as the willingness of grandparents to care for their grandchildren has drastically reduced.

The Ministry of Health and the problems of loneliness that have existed for years

In 2010 Japan recorded 31,600 suicides, a figure that had fallen to 20,169 in 2019. In 2020, then, the figure returned to rise for the first time in 11 years and reached the number of 20,919 deaths from suicide. according to data from the Ministry of Health. This alarming increase in suicides – and which has mostly involved women – is attributable to the current situation.

The incidence rate of mental health problems was already very high before the pandemic. However, job loss, protocols on social distancing and other restrictions that are virtually incompatible with social interaction have all made it even more difficult to fight despair in these difficult times.

The UK was the first country to appoint a minister of loneliness, and it did so in 2018. This decision was made following the publication of a report in 2017 that more than nine million people said they often hear from or always alone. The UK has already appointed three solitude ministers in three years.

Why does Japan find itself with so many mental health problems?

Japan is a collectivist society. The importance of the role and service that takes place for one’s country is mixed with strong competition between individuals. For the Japanese, forming, evolving and fighting for a progressive society is a common project.

From here derive such extraordinary civil values ​​as the respect of the shift, the persecution of acts of corruption, the cleaning of public spaces, the extreme attention to plants and the care of gardens, etc. All of these ideals could be beneficial were it not that work occupies a prominent place.

The consequences of pressure

The sense of responsibility and pressure have marked the mental health of many young people, who postpone the creation of their own family or a couple’s commitment. They prefer a professional career, without there being anything to “distract them”. 

On the other hand, there are some young people who, tired and exhausted by social pressures, have “withdrawn from the race” and in doing so have also put their lives on standby. Having failed at what to them is the main engine, then they are done with all other aspects of their life.

Therefore, they choose to live at home, locking themselves in their own bedroom, without going out, for any reason. Finally – what is even more serious – the intense working hours leave very little room for social relations. The Japanese, already introverted in themselves, are not left with many options to choose from.

The Ministry of Solitude: a collective journey that has just begun

S akamoto aims to bring together different specialists to draw up a list of priorities. It aims to promote activities aimed at warding off loneliness and social isolation and at protecting the bonds between people.

Measures to be taken include regional revitalization, as well as managing the collapse of the birth rate in Japan. Currently there is coordination between the newly formed Ministry of Solitude and the Ministry of Health for the prevention of suicide and with the Ministry of Agriculture on soup kitchens. The idea is to work in coordination and implement urgent measures. 

Will the Ministry of Solitude manage not to betray the trust that many have placed in it? We do not know what it will lead to, but the fight against depression goes through the fight against poverty, isolation, the stigma of mental illness and the delegitimization of a person’s value in relation to the work they do. Only a collective response will be able to solve a collective problem that is expressed in individuals in various ways.