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Nevertheless, according to the book the numbers of NEET persons have recently
doubled 5 times. In 1997 they were 80,000, in the year 2000 they increased
up to 170,000, but in 2003 their numbers jumped to 400,000. So far, this
has become such a social phenomenon that cannot be taken as a situation
of "modern young people "
The present book analyzes in ways easy to understand the situation of NEET
persons with the help of interviews of the people concerned and statistical
studies.
Genda Yuji, one of the authors, gives three main reasons to explain why
NEET persons have increased. The first one is the worsening of the job
situation. According to the statistics provided by the Ministry of Public
Management in 2004, out of the 53,720,000 Japanese labor force, about 29%
or 15,640,000 are not regular employees (part-time workers under regular
part-time contracts or from employment agencies). In 1990 not regular employees
(15-34 years old) were 1,830,000 people (10.4%), but in 2001 the numbers
jumped to 4,170,000 (21.2%). The average income for regular employees of
that age in 1993 was 4,100,000 Yen and 10 years later (2003) it went down
by 4% to 3,950,000 Yen, while non-regular employees, receiving an average
1,220,000 Yen during the same period, saw their salaries being reduced
by 16% to 1,020,000 Yen. This shows clearly that the Japanese economy is
coming out from recession by sacrificing non regular workers. Young people
cannot expect hope for employment under such a situation.
The second reason is education. The educational reforms through the years
have provoked a two polar division between "proficient children /
those who try their best" and "children who do badly / give up
children." The results are that those "give up children"
find an insurmountable wall when they are faced with the trials of finding
a job.
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A third reason is the family environment. The destruction of the local
community and the exaggerated raising of children in closed environments
rob the sociability of children. On the other hand, parents live more comfortably
and there is no need for children to work. In other words, that comes to
the opinion on top, given by the lady in her fifties. But, although that
might be true, it does not explain why in the last 10 years the numbers
of NEET have increased so rapidly. The authors of the book recognize that
there could be more unknown reasons besides the three ones offered.
There is something true: unless we take into consideration the voices of
the young people themselves we could hardly know anything. The interviews
show that situations differ much and the opinions of young people regarding
why they cannot work are manifold. Many cannot frankly understand why they
continue as NEET persons. The authors of the book remark: "if they
themselves cannot understand it, why is it that we can affirm that we know
it?" I felt strongly once more that this is an attitude we should
not forget at a time when we are getting involved in the anguish and mental
problems of people.
This book presents the experiences of junior high school students from
all over Japan in companies and factories as one way to confront the issue
of NEET. According to the authors, all second-year junior high school students
of Hyogo and Toyama prefectures have to go for the experience of working,
at least 5 days, in the local factories. Such experiences have become an
important opportunity for living exchanges among the students themselves
and with the local people. In regions where there are no young people,
the most efficient thing to do could be first to work together, instead
of criticizing the "actual young people" or of preaching them
about those times "I was a young person." There is no doubt that
this becomes a good opportunity for us, adult people, to learn.
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