People are “disappearing,” leaving their family behind because they are tired of life, and businesses are assisting with the start of a new life.
Thousands of Japanese individuals have apparently started abandoning their legal identities and looking for shelter in the anonymous, off-the-grid world because they are tormented by the embarrassment of a lost job, broken marriage, or increasing debt.
The term “jouhatsu” is used to describe these people. That is the Japanese word for “evaporation,” but it also describes those who intentionally disappear into thin air and maintain secrecy about their location for a long period of time, maybe decades.
No one in this group actually disappears; rather, there is an administrative disappearance rather than a physical absence. The johatsu choose to alter their identities, residences, and professional affiliations, much like those in the Witness Protection Program in the US. They are able to virtually start over.
This escape may be surprisingly simple in Japan. The flexibility to conceal one’s location is greatly increased by Japan’s privacy regulations. Family members cannot search financial records, and the police can only access personal information in criminal instances.
What is Johatsu?
Johatsu, which translates to “evaporated people” in the Japanese language, refers to individuals who have consciously decided to shed their previous identities as a result of failures in their lives.
Shame is one of the primary causes of johatsu. Some people frequently vanish after experiencing a job loss, a broken marriage, or significant debt. Many Japanese emigrate to Japan, abandon their previous identities, and begin fresh.
When a French journalist named Lena Mauger heard from a friend in 2008 about a couple disappearances, the phenomena was made public. Around midnight, the people suddenly vanished into thin air without being taken hostage or dying.
Mauger’s buddy also informed her that the yearly phenomena of thousands of individuals hiding out to become “Johatsu” is a common occurrence. This piqued Mauger’s interest in investigating the inexplicable disappearances in a developed nation like Japan and utilizing all available tools to locate the missing.
As a result, Mauger and her photographer husband Stephane Remael continued to record the information they discovered over the following five years.
How and Why Johatsu Disappear?
If you don’t want to commit suicide but are unable to accept failure and disgrace, consider Johatsu.
These disappearances can occur for a number of reasons, such as a kid who fails an academic test and does not want to face his nation or a husband who wins big at gambling and accumulates debt.
Neither kidnapping nor suicide apply here. Every year, around 100,000 Japanese citizens just vanish into thin air. Some take a long to show up, while others remain hidden within their homes as hikikomori, and some are already leading regular lives without making an effort to blend in.
Although it still occurs now, this practice was more prevalent when Japan was having economic issues in the 1990s.
Because of Japan’s privacy rules, these persons normally just vanish without being tracked down. Since tracing bank and card movement is only conceivable in criminal circumstances, the person may choose to simply not register their residence with the city hall. Families who have vanished are not entirely able to help him be located.
Where do Johatsu-People Live?
In Japan, there is a civilization of the underworld that is invisible to outsiders.
The Johatsu are moved covertly by Night Movers to the underground society without revealing their whereabouts; occasionally, a large crew is sent to transport the Johatsu.
Even parts of the cities in this culture are referred to be “ghettos”; these areas of a city are where people dwell as a consequence of social, societal, or economic pressure. Since the Japanese mafia known as the “Yakuza” controls ghettos like “Sanya” and “Kamagasaki,” these locations have been erased off the map, allowing individuals to vanish there.
Taxi drivers steer clear of these sketchy areas for this reason. Johatsu can live in this society without an identification card or official document since they can locate affordable lodgings, allowing them to blend in with the community. Additionally, individuals have the option of working for income and engaging in either legal or unlawful activity.
How Japanese Culture Force Individuals to be Johatsu?
Takehiko Kariya, a professor of Japanese sociology, argues why it is more likely that Johatsu exists in Japan than it is in other nations.
In the last 20 years, schools have promoted individual expression and creativity, but the social setting and workplace have stayed the same. A recent graduate and a salaryman from the 1980s work in the same hierarchical office environment, therefore there is no difference between them.
Over the past two decades, vacation time has decreased, working hours have increased, and cooperation and discipline have deteriorated.
Unfortunately, it is regarded dishonorable to leave a firm in Japan due to the culture there. There are no anti-discrimination legislation in Japan. Sexual harassment and discrimination against women are commonplace in the workplace.
For instance, if employed, a pregnant woman may be dismissed or demoted. Men frequently take advantage of women sexually; in fact, some hotels even provide their boss and secretary a private room in the middle of the day.
Blood type discrimination exists alongside racial and ethnic discrimination. By connecting blood types to personality features, a Japanese article clarified why type Bs exhibit the worst behavioral behaviors.
The phenomena of Johatsu was first observed in Japanese culture. People who were formerly supported by their families and their communities are now alone, despondent, and ashamed of their mistakes.
The disappearances are caused by the rigid culture, or “Johatsu,” which is prohibited and tabooed. Different experts and groups said that Japan is trying to hide the situation by supplying tainted data and that the true figures are far higher than thought.