The Aging Hikikomori: The Intersectionality of Age and Culturally Mediated Expressions of Mental Health in Japanese Language Media

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This study examines the representation of aging hikikomori in Japanese language media through qualitative content analysis of 188 sources (2019–2024), including news articles and personal blogs. Using deductive and inductive coding, the research reveals disparities between institutional media portrayals and personal narratives. Findings demonstrate that Japanese media frames aging hikikomori through medical and social welfare lenses, emphasizing social burden and family crisis narratives, while self-authored blogs reveal intersectional identities encompassing disability, sexuality, and regional marginalization. This paper provides the first English-language empirical analysis of Japanese media representations of aging hikikomori, demonstrating how blogosphere self-representation functions as counter-discourse to medicalized framings.