Jouhatsu

It has been theorized that Japan's harsh work culture in combination with the lack of familial and community support has contributed to the prevalence of jouhatsu in Japan.[2] Furthermore, quitting a company is seen as shameful in Japanese culture.[2] Suicide, working to death (karoshi), and becoming jouhatsu are thus potential outcomes.[2] It can also spare the family the high costs that can be associated with suicide (e.g. debts, cleanup fees, and disruption-of-service fees in the context of platform jumpers).[2]

Similar societal pressures have been theorized to contribute to the prevalence of hikikomori and relatively high suicide rate.[3]

The term jouhatsu started being used in the 1960s.[1] At that time, it was used in the context of people who decided to escape unhappy marriages rather than endure formal divorce proceedings.[1]

During the 1990s, the Japanese economy crashed, leading to a spike in jouhatsu and suicide as many salarymen lost their jobs and/or accumulated debt.[4]

In Japan, the topic of jouhatsu is taboo in regular conversation, like the topic of suicide.[2] It has been estimated that one hundred thousand Japanese people disappear annually.[2]

Jouhatsu may be underreported in the official numbers.[2] In 2015, Japan's National Police Agency had registered 82,000 missing persons, and 80,000 were found by the end of the year.[2] In comparison, that same year, Britain had 300,000 calls to report a missing person although it is around half of the population of Japan.[2] Furthermore, a database of missing persons does not exist in Japan.[3] The Missing Persons Search Support Association of Japan, a non-profit dedicated to support families of the jouhatsu, estimates hundreds of thousands of people go missing each year.[2]

People become jouhatsu for a number of reasons, including depression, addiction, sexual impropriety, and desire for isolation.[2] Sometimes, it is used to escape domestic violence, gambling debt, religious cults, stalkers, employers, and difficult family situations.[2][3] The shame of job loss, divorce, and even failing an exam can also motivate people to disappear.[4][5] In some cases, becoming jouhatsu is a way to just have a fresh start.[2] When they disappear, they can abandon their former residences, jobs, families, names, and even appearances.[2]

The businesses that assist the jouhatsu are called yonige-ya, which means “fly-by-night shops”.[2] These establishments are relatively accessible and have their own websites.[2] On particular yonige-ya could charge between ¥50,000 ($450) and ¥300,000 ($2,600) for its services depending on a number of factors.[2] These factors include the amount of possessions, the distance, if it is a nocturnal move, if children are brought along, and if one is evading debt collectors.[2] Sometimes, people disappear on their own without the aid of yonige-ya.[2] There are published guides that can help assist people become jouhatsu.[2]

Detective agencies are sometimes used to find people who have become jouhatsu.[2] Sometimes, people can be found spending time at pachinko parlors and cheap hotel rooms, and other times, they can be found to have committed suicide.[2] San'ya, a skid row in Tokyo that previously housed thousands of day laborers, is reported to be a place of hiding for the jouhatsu.[2] Kamagasaki in Osaka is another neighborhood that it is possible to live without an ID and so is also favored.[4] These communities are Yakuza strongholds, since they have jobs that pay cash.[3][4] Many times, especially in the setting of Japan's strict privacy laws, the jouhatsu are unable to be found.[2][4] Most jouhatsu cases are civil cases, and personal data is not easily accessed.[4] Police will not interfere unless there is a crime or accident.[1]

• A Man Vanishes
• Missing person