The Hikikomori

Hikikomori is a term used to describe a growing group of young people in Japan who lock themselves in their bedrooms for months if not years. Experts can’t agree on the number of hikikomori in Japan (figures rangefrom 100,000 to a 1,000,000) but the hikikomori tend to be young males, living with their parents.

James Roberson, a cultural anthropologist in Tokyo says its a reaction to the pressurs to succeed. "Men start to feel the pressure in junior high school, and their
success is largely defined in a couple of years," said Roberson, "Hikikomori is a resistance to that pressure. Some of them are saying: ‘To hell with it. I don’t like it and I don’t do well."’

New York Times