Father's 'Guilt' in Trying to Save His Hikikomori Son

The Japanese novel "8050" by Mariko Hayashi, recently introduced in Korea, offers a stark and unflinching look at the "8050 phenomenon" – a social issue where 50-something hikikomori (social recluses) are cared for by their 80-something parents. While fictional, the narrative is so densely woven with realistic details that it reads like a powerful piece of reportage, forcing readers to confront the harsh realities and potential futures of such situations.

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He becomes a parasite of parents who have already become 80 years old, having had no relationship with the world at all. When the host gets older and finally dies, the son is thrown into the world alone.

The novel centers on Masakki, a traditional patriarch and dentist, whose rigid expectations for his son, Shota, ultimately contribute to the young man's withdrawal from society. Shota's descent into hikikomori begins after enduring bullying in middle school, a fact that Masakki, blinded by his own ambitions and societal pressures, takes years to fully acknowledge. The narrative meticulously details the family's struggles: the parents' escalating conflicts, the mother's deteriorating mental health, and the daughter's anxieties about her own future being tainted by her brother's condition.

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My future might be ruined because of Shota. Father, aren't we holding a bomb?

"8050" is particularly effective in its portrayal of Masakki's perspective. His internal monologues reveal a man grappling with his own perceived failures and the societal judgment he fears. The novel questions whether Masakki, despite his flaws and authoritarian approach, could have chosen a different path, drawing parallels to real-life incidents in Japan where parents have resorted to extreme measures, including murder, out of desperation. This focus on the father's viewpoint intensifies the emotional impact, exposing the raw, often ugly, emotions that fester within families under such immense strain.

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I've decided to think that we drew the short straw. There's nothing we can do even if we try to find the cause.

What makes "8050" a significant work is its unflinching examination of how societal structures and individual actions create a devastating feedback loop. The novel exposes the hypocrisy of elite educational institutions, the complicity of bystanders, and the pervasive nature of bullying. It suggests that the roots of hikikomori are deeply embedded in a society that prioritizes conformity and success, often at the expense of individual well-being. The story's resonance with middle-aged Japanese men, who have reportedly engaged actively with the book, suggests a shared recognition of these deeply ingrained societal flaws and the desperate need for change.

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The direct cause of Shota becoming a hikikomori was bullying that started in the first year of middle school.