Millions of Japanese Over 35 Still Live With Mom and Dad

[Nitro Fun]

Thats still slowing down progress. Its not stopping it, others were still progressing around the globe. Eventually vietnam changed and will keep changing its just slower. The renovation act in 1986 was still steps foward, even if small. Not country has remained unchanged, it doesent exist.

I'd hardly call what's happening in Malaysia slowing down progress though. They're reverting what progress has been made.

[minteK917]

I will use a metaphor then....

Death is inevitable, that does not justify committing suicide because the fight against death is ultimately pointless.

Are changes necessary? Why and to what benefit? To whose benefit will the change be?

Death is final, change is not, its a pretty unfiting analogy.

[Jester Joe]

Malaysia is over 60 years ago. Vietnam is over 30 years ago.

Malaysia was better off under colonial rule in many aspects as opposed to now when more religious people are starting to turn back time to more archaic systems.

Yes, and in Vietnam's case specifically, there's still quite a few alive from that generation I would imagine. Malaysia would be starting to reach the point I would say that's getting to be considered "older", but it's not as if these happened 100 to 200 years ago.

[FobManX]

Its a cultural thing as well, especially in Asia. I'm Indian and in our culture it is common to not move out until you get married(not for me though I GTFO soon as I finished school).

[Independent voter]

The Japanese never had Freud tell them that sons want to sleep with their moms. Sons and mothers are close and moms don't mind if junior never leaves the nest.

[minteK917]

The Japanese never had Freud tell them that sons want to sleep with their moms. Sons and mothers are close and moms don't mind if junior never leaves the nest.

People give Freud a little too much credit anyway, they really dont need to read half his mombo jumbo crap lol. For everything he predicted that came true from science research, 2 are ridiculous and debunked.

[Tennis]

And if something happens to the parent?

The kid is left screwed over. It's just not ideal.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to shame them or something for not having a place of their own, I just feel as if it's not something that should be just glanced over if there are issues.

Culture is different in Asia. There aren't as many societal pressures for children to move out. If they're single then why not stay at home. It's more efficient and can result in a higher standard of living.

[NED funded]

And if something happens to the parent?

The kid is left screwed over. It's just not ideal.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to shame them or something for not having a place of their own, I just feel as if it's not something that should be just glanced over if there are issues.

If they die, wouldn't they inherit the house?

[Lady Dragonheart]

As I recall, it's part of Asian culture. The concept of having a communal family residence that your family resides in until they make their own family. By extension, if young men are deliberately choosing that they will not have a family, that is between them and their parents.

However, you have to look at it from the traditional Japanese point of view, as well. Moving out after you find a partner and starting your branch of the family perpetuates the namesake and honors your ancestors. By intentionally refusing to marry and procreate, I would imagine that many Japanese parents are quite frustrated with their children that will not be able to move out and survive on their own according to traditional standard. My question would be, where is the line drawn for most Japanese parents that continue to provide for their children past that age? Is it more dishonorable to cast them out of the house versus letting them live in their childhood bedroom for the remainder of their lives or is there more at play on the table for Japanese cultural politics, like a transition to a more western view of how to raise children and prepare them for adulthood for example?

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Culture is different in Asia. There aren't as many societal pressures for children to move out. If they're single then why not stay at home. It's more efficient and can result in a higher standard of living.

It's more because kicking out your children in Asian culture is essentially the same as disowning them on a traditional standpoint. While societal pressures are not pressed on a young adult that refuses to move out, they are instead applying the societal pressure to their parents, making them look like horrible people that are incapable of raising children properly.

[minteK917]

As I recall, it's part of Asian culture. The concept of having a communal family residence that your family resides in until they make their own family. By extension, if young men are deliberately choosing that they will not have a family, that is between them and their parents.

However, you have to look at it from the traditional Japanese point of view, as well. Moving out after you find a partner and starting your branch of the family perpetuates the namesake and honors your ancestors. By intentionally refusing to marry and procreate, I would imagine that many Japanese parents are quite frustrated with their children that will not be able to move out and survive on their own according to traditional standard. My question would be, where is the line drawn for most Japanese parents that continue to provide for their children past that age? Is it more dishonorable to cast them out of the house versus letting them live in their childhood bedroom for the remainder of their lives or is there more at play on the table for Japanese cultural politics, like a transition to a more western view of how to raise children and prepare them for adulthood for example?

It think it still comes down to them still being their children no matter the culture. Its more of a stereotype that all Japanese put absolutely everything under honor. Most humans would prefer shame over wrong doing their own children, the rest are more exceptions. Thats why they even stay at their own job longer to support their own children longer, physically putting your own child in a state of dire poverty or homelessness probably trumps alot of social norms.

[Dug]

Happening in the US too with people moving out later and later.

[Grimbold21]

Why go all the way to Japan?

Just check what the austerity program did with southern europe. Folks over 25 having to move back to their parents' cause there's no jobs.

[Thetruth1400]

This is not a new trend and its not limited to asian countries. A huge chunk of canadian population lives with their parents well into their 30s. Unlike the boomers the cost of living is ridiculously high and the pay never really went up. A minimal wage job now is barelly 5 can more an hour than my mother used to make with no high school diploma, yet the same kind of housing she had is 1000% more expansive now.

This is just a sign that the current model is no longer appropriate.

This, many times over. The baby boomers especially and the Gen X crowd have really taken it to the economy because they were trying to "Get what's theirs" to the point of screwing off future generations. Instead of living modestly, they had to push for getting the most for themselves and frankly, The Gen Y / Millennial group isn't having any of it. You can't pass your shit to someone that isn't willing to shovel said shit, and that's pretty much exactly what they've done.

The minimum wage was created so that, in the least, a person working 40 hours a week wouldn't have to worry about their basic needs. Sadly, that's far, far away from the reality now. At minimum wage today, a person working full time is lucky if they bring home $1,000 a month after taxes. Considering the average one bedroom apartment costs between $900 - $1,200, it's easy to see just how impossible it is for a person even to have a roof over their head, let alone water, electricity, heating, or even food.

We need to realize that society is in for a massive change, and frankly, we're going to have to accept it now, not keep pushing it off on future generations.

[Tennis]

Why go all the way to Japan?

Just check what the austerity program did with southern europe. Folks over 25 having to move back to their parents' cause there's no jobs.

Is this common in Portugal? Sounds awful.

[Grimbold21]

Is this common in Portugal? Sounds awful.

Austerity measures in, what was it, 2010(?) forced young adults into one of 2 choices: leave the country for better opportunities which 400.000 did or move in back with their parents while trying to land a shitty 500€ minimum wage job.

[Deleted]

When its about money and affording i totally get it, when its about not wanting to grow up, staying in your room playing games and watching anime all the time, i can only say

[Tommy T]

Not surprised.

At my age in the UK a lot of people still live with their parents (26). Move out and you're skint. Can't afford to do much. No luxuries. No quality of life. The best option for me personally is to save up for a deposit for a mortgage. If you're going to be skint, might as well get skint while investing rather than paying someone else's bills in rented accommodation.

It's not really a taboo anymore. The older generation seem to encourage it.

[Jester Joe]

If they die, wouldn't they inherit the house?

If they couldn't afford to obtain a house before, I don't think it's much of a stretch to say they won't be able to keep one up and running either.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Another garbage bloomberg article projecting unrealistic liberal standards.

Moving out is and always will be a luxury that depends solely on population and economy.

Overpopulation = no moving out.

Bad economy = no moving out.

It's plain pathetic how idiots keep trying to paint Japan in bad light because they want excuses to jump into their economy and culture to destroy it. Japan does not give a shit because they know it's propaganda.

"Oh no Japan birth rates are down! Better introduce immigrants even though the country is already overpopulated!"

"Oh no the (foreign fabricated) bubble might pop, better introduce foreign business even though their economy is just fine!"

The backbone that keeps the US running is generations of family-owned farms/businesses, not the flakes who move all over the place to make a quick buck.

Roooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooofl, "liberal standards"

It's been the conservatives who have been making fun of kids living with mommy and daddy and don't become the "earners" in society, but don't let that stop your narrative. It's always those durn liberals who say things that disagree with you.

See this post for the reality:

Japan has been a canary in the coal mine for the social struggles of modern progress for a couple decades now.

The economic struggles that the Japanese (and South Koreans) face, is exacerbated by the forces of high population density, high median income, and being a complete economy.

Japan has only the 38th highest population density in the world, but all of the countries above it are either tiny island nations in the Caribbean or South Pacific with limited landmass, and far lower median income (while being complete economies). Or 'countries' with higher population density and similar median income, but aren't complete economies - by which I mean city-states that exist within larger national economies: Singapore within Indonesia, Hong Kong & Macau within China.

The only other 'real' country that has a comparable status to Japan, is Israel - a tiny country with a colossal population, and relatively high median income.

So really - if you want to see the likely social effects of modern progress about a decade ahead of today - look to those two countries.

Sometimes it's pretty damned alarming.

Israel demonstrates how a multicultural society can potentially polarize around ethnic or ideological or religious factions - and seasonally blow up when the pressure inevitably rises. A troubling forecast for the rest of the developed world of how quickly ideological differences can divide a nation when the stess is high (due to economic and political, not just ideological factors!) - and we demonize the 'other' as the font of all our woes.

Japan has quite a homogeneous population - so the same ethnic tension and villainizing the 'other' doesn't occur to quite the same degree: though a sort national elitism is no stranger to the Japanese worldview - which is a similar reaction to what we're seeing all over the developed world (nowhere worse, perhaps, than Israel). Japan's harbinger for the perils of progress centre around the economic effects. Rising wealth inequality has risen all over the world, and Japan is no exception - despite being one of the richest countries on the planet, within a population just over a third the size of the US - purchasing power in Japan per household is only about 70% of what it is in America (and America's no pacesetter of socialist redistribution).

By rights, the Japanese should probably be wealthier per person than the average American - but they're well ahead (a decade or more) on the long-term effects of rising wealth inequality - so what you are seeing there is an indication of what's to come to the rest of the developed world: countries with unprecedented wealth, but shared only by a dwindling few. The societal impacts of falling median income are exemplified here - with an inability for young Japanese to buy property and start families of their own. It's also visible in the societal impact of the workaholic culture in Japan: work so hard you have no life, don't bother commuting home - sleep under your desk, hang out with your boss after hours, etc.

The other negative factor that contributes to these societal effects, which Japan is also ahead of the curve on - is longevity. While longer lifespans are largely a great thing for everyone - it's also resulted in Japans aging population. Longer lifespans have also resulted in longer working lifespans, because increased lifespan has improved quality of life - not just age at time of death. This means that the old workforce retires later, rises higher in organizations, leaves no room for younger Japanese to enter higher position, creates no room at the bottom to pull new employees up the corporate hierarchy - creates no room at the bottom for new employment, new entrants, etc.

So progress definitely has perils - I think sometimes it's easy for people to see me and Connal get nerdy about all the utopian benefits the future could hold in store - but probably the most important thing to remember about utopias is that - every utopian setting began with a dystopian transition. We're excited for the future, and we're right to be - but the 21st century is the Dystopian Era that will precede the Utopian future (22nd century, or 23rd century).

[Zandalarian Paladin]

I'm 23 and I'm damn glad to still live with my mother and grandmother. There's no way in hell I could take the risks I take right now job-wise without that kind of security, so it's not surprising that Japan has such a high rate of middle-aged kids still living with them.