Mar 30 (NHK) - A Japanese government survey has found that more than 600,000 middle-aged people have withdrawn from society.
The Cabinet Office has previously surveyed young "hikikomori," those who isolate themselves and avoid interaction with others.
The latest survey, conducted last December, for the first time targeted people aged between 40 and 64, as recluses tend to continue their withdrawal for years.
It asked 5,000 men and women in that age bracket across the nation and received responses from 3,248.
"Hikikomori" was defined broadly to include people who hardly ever leave their rooms or homes, or who have gone out only for special reasons such as hobbies for more than six months.
Those people accounted for 1.45 percent of the total, putting the estimated number of sufferers at 613,000. That's more than the estimated 541,000 "hikikomori" aged 15 to 39 counted in a survey four years ago.
Men accounted for more than three-fourths of "hikikomori." More than half those suffering from the condition said they have been recluses for more than five years, with some saying it had been over 30 years.
Cabinet Office officials said the problem has spread among the middle-aged more widely than expected. They pledged to come up with effective measures to tackle this.
