News On Japan

Wandering Youth in Kego Area Face Loneliness

FUKUOKA, May 26 (News On Japan) - At night, Kego Park in central Fukuoka becomes a gathering place for youth with nowhere else to go—teenagers and young adults who have lost their footing at home or in school. The area has come to be known as "the Kego scene."

On any given evening, boys and girls as young as 12 can be seen in the park, drawn not by events or entertainment, but by the comfort of being among others facing similar struggles. Some are skipping school, some have been away from home for weeks, and many say there’s no point going back. One 15-year-old girl, whose mother remarried after two divorces, said she no longer feels like she matters: "Even if I'm there or not, nothing changes."

An anonymous survey conducted among 216 young people in the park revealed harsh realities. One in three had engaged in drug overdoses or self-harm. One in two had thought about dying. Over 40% said they had stayed away from home at least once; 55 respondents said they had been gone for more than a week. The main reasons cited were domestic issues such as abuse or overbearing family control.

Trying to address this isolation, Ryo Onishi, an associate professor at Shujogakuen University, holds monthly "Street Health Rooms" near the park’s entrance. These sessions offer counseling and a place to talk. "Many of them are weighed down by feelings they’ve kept bottled up. Once they find someone willing to listen, they open up and start to share," said Onishi.

NPO leaders like Kurako Fujino, head of the organization AMU, are also on the ground. Fujino began outreach after noticing that many out-of-school youths were unable to form connections through traditional services. She has since spent over two years building trust with young people in the area, one of whom is an 18-year-old named Rui.

Rui, who grew up in a care facility after suffering domestic violence, had lived alone but was overwhelmed—his room filled with garbage, utilities cut off, and emotional instability showing in acts of self-harm. When police approached him in the park, he lashed out. But with Fujino’s help, he slowly found a path back. "I felt like there was no point in living," he said. But together they cleaned his apartment, restored utilities, and gave him the stability of a home again.

"Having somewhere to go makes a difference," Rui said. "If there was no one to rely on, I probably wouldn’t be here." Fujino added, "People only learn by stumbling. What matters is staying connected—even as they move forward and backward. In the end, the direction they choose has to be their own."

For Japan’s vulnerable youth, one adult who doesn’t walk away can mean the first step out of the dark.

Source: FBS福岡放送ニュース

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

As of 3 a.m. on October 6th, Typhoon No. 22 (Halong) was located over the sea south of the Ogasawara Islands, almost stationary, with a central pressure of 994 hPa and maximum winds near the center reaching 23 meters per second. The typhoon is forecast to gradually move north while intensifying, reaching peak strength between the 8th and 9th. However, the storm’s path remains uncertain, and weather authorities are urging the public to stay alert for new updates.

Train services on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line were suspended between Shibuya and Saginuma stations from the first train on October 6th after a collision and derailment occurred at Kajigaya Station in Kawasaki City late Sunday night. The accident has also affected parts of the Oimachi Line, with no clear timetable yet for when operations will resume.

A Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear while visiting Shirakawa-go, the UNESCO World Heritage village in Gifu Prefecture known for its traditional thatched-roof houses, on October 5th. The incident adds to a growing number of bear encounters reported across Japan in recent weeks.

Sanae Takaichi, elected as the Liberal Democratic Party’s new president on October 4th, declared on stage, “I ask everybody to work like a horse,” after defeating agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff to become the party’s first female leader.

A string of so-called “honey trap” cases is drawing attention across Japan as schemes once limited to extortion have become increasingly violent, involving physical assaults and life-threatening intimidation.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Kyoto for the first time in six years to attend an international forum that began on October 5th, where discussions focused on the role and implications of artificial intelligence in society.

Richard Keita Kusama, a 29-year-old member of the idol group Aぇ! Group under STARTO Entertainment, was arrested by Tokyo Metropolitan Police on suspicion of public indecency.

A mobile battery caught fire inside a train on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line on October 4th, injuring two women and disrupting operations on both northbound and southbound tracks.

A man in his twenties who was abducted in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, in June and later killed has been confirmed dead after his remains were found as bones in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture.

A string of so-called “honey trap” cases is drawing attention across Japan as schemes once limited to extortion have become increasingly violent, involving physical assaults and life-threatening intimidation.

Police have revealed that a woman killed by her former partner in Higashi-Osaka had sustained dozens of stab wounds across her body, including injuries that pierced internal organs.

Right now in big cities in Japan, there are more and more protests by Japanese people against the government's immigration policies. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

Princess Aiko, the daughter of the Emperor and Empress, has tested positive for Covid-19, the Imperial Household Agency announced on October 2nd, cancelling her scheduled trip to Shiga Prefecture on October 5th and 6th to observe the National Sports Festival.