Osaka –
Many o.oJapanese people apparently wanted to disappear and never be found again for certain reasons, including those related to the sociological factors of Japanese society. One of their hiding locations is a slum area in the port city of Osaka.
As quoted detikINET from SCMP, a slum called Kamagasaki is filled with ‘jouhatsu-sha’ or ‘yawners’. So nicknamed because they left their lives in other parts of Japan.
So these people have chosen to completely disappear from their lives elsewhere, separating themselves from family and friends to start a new life. Apparently, people disappearing is a fairly common phenomenon in Sakura Country.
In 2021 according to Statista, around 80,000 people were reported missing in Japan. Many of them choose to disappear because of debt, to escape obligations and responsibilities, or to press the reset button of their lives.
One of them is Masashi Tanaka, who is 49 years old. He said his mother was mean to him so he disappeared. Apparently he was rejected after going to prison for drugs.
“You are dead to me. Don’t write to me anymore,” his mother said. Masashi also chose to live in Kamagasaki alone, like many other people in that place.
Kamagasaki, also known as Airin Chiku, is an area in Osaka where people can find cheap accommodation and low-income jobs as day labourers. Hotels can be found for as low as USD 15 per night. People stand on the side of the road hoping to work odd jobs.
Kamagasaki is the largest slum area in Japan. Yes, even though it is a developed country, not all Japanese people are prosperous. A 2008 investigation by the Guardian estimated that there were around 25,000 people living in the slum. In Tokyo there are also similar slums where many day laborers live and roam the streets waiting for work.
It’s easy to maintain anonymity and hide in Japan. Sociologist Hiroki Nakamori told the BBC that because privacy is highly valued in Japan, missing people can still withdraw money from ATMs without being detected.
“The police will not intervene unless there is some other reason, such as a crime or accident. All the family can do is pay for a private investigator. Or wait. That’s all,” said Nakamori.
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