The Ministry Of Solitude In The Government Of Japan

In an attempt to address mental health problems in Japan, the government has created the Ministry of Loneliness. To this end, he recently appointed Tetsushi Sakamoto as minister in charge.

Japan has welcomed the creation of this Ministry of Loneliness to change the situation of many people who are isolated. A phenomenon that has spread even more during the time in which the pandemic has forced safety distances to be maintained. It is a response to the worrying figures on suicide and social withdrawal.

Many health professionals praised the move, as Japan sees a deterioration in mental health among the elderly, working women, part-time workers and the unemployed.

Loneliness Ministry: a response to the rise in suicides

The pandemic has intensified the phenomenon. Japanese society has been accusing the consequences of the absence of ties between the members of its society for years.

In the wake of the pandemic, thousands of people have been removed from their normal work environment. Japanese social contact has been further reduced.

The students are afraid and distressed. Many have lost part-time jobs and are unable to pay for their studies in a highly competitive society. Those who are also suffering income adversities are workers in the entertainment and hospitality industries and women, who tend to have lower-paying jobs in the service sector.

Women have been particularly affected by the current situation

It is particularly concerning to see suicide numbers rise among women. Many of them have been removed from their interacting environments and often have a greater workload at home or have to care for elderly relatives.

One sector that is suffering in a special way is that of single mothers, since the availability of grandparents to care for their grandchildren has been drastically reduced.

Ministry of Solitude: loneliness problems for years

In 2010, Japan reported 31,600 suicides, a number that had dropped to 20,169 in 2019. In 2020, the number recovered for the first time in 11 years. 20,919 deaths were reached according to data from the Ministry of Health. The alarming rise in suicides especially among women was attributed to the current situation.

The prevalence of mental health problems was already very high before the pandemic, but job losses, social distancing protocols, and other restrictions that are virtually incompatible with social interaction have made it even more difficult to fight the feelings. of hopelessness in these difficult times.

The UK was the first country to appoint a loneliness minister in 2018. This came after a 2017 report found more than nine million people saying they often or always feel lonely. The UK has already gone through three loneliness ministers in three years.

Why does Japan carry so many mental health problems?

Japan is a collectivist society. The importance of the position and the service you perform for your country is mixed with great individual competitiveness. For the Japanese, to train, prosper and strive for an advanced society is a common ideal.

Hence incredible civic values ​​such as respect for shifts, the persecution of corruption, the cleanliness of public spaces, the extreme care of plants and gardens, etc. All this ideal would be positive if work did not occupy such a central place.

The consequences of pressure

Responsibility and pressure have marked the mental health of many young people. They have delayed the formation of a family or ended relationships. They prefer to choose their professional career without there being anything that can “distract them”.

On the other hand, some young people, exhausted and overwhelmed by social pressure, “have withdrawn from competition”, and in doing so they have also withdrawn from their own lives. By failing what for them is the central engine, they have also closed the rest of areas of their lives. They choose to live in their parents’ house forever, secluded in their room, from which they do not leave at all.

And last and most serious: intense work hours leave very little room for social relationships. The Japanese, already introverted, have almost run out of options.

Ministerio de la Soledad: a collective journey that has just begun

Sakamoto intends to bring together various specialists to come up with a list of priorities. He hopes to promote activities that avoid loneliness and social isolation and protect ties between people. The measures also include regional revitalization as well as addressing the falling birth rate in Japan.

There is coordination between the newly created Ministry of Solitude, the Ministry of Health in suicide prevention and with the Ministry of Agriculture in food banks. The idea is to work in a comprehensive way and take a series of urgent measures. Will the Ministry of Solitude be able to meet the expectations that have been placed on it?

We do not know what results it will have, but the fight against depression goes through the fight against poverty, isolation, the stigma of mental illness and the delegitimization of the value of a person associated with their work.

Only a group response can solve a collective problem that manifests itself in individuals in different ways.