Edogawa Ward in Tokyo plans to make use of metaverse tech to assist social recluses, often known as “hikikomori,” start to combine with society once more. The ward will set up a collection of hybrid (digital and in-person) conferences this 12 months with the target of reuniting folks with social reclusion issues and serving to them of their reintegration course of.
Edogawa Ward to Leverage the Metaverse in Hikikomori Reintegration Processes
Edogawa Ward, positioned in Tokyo, introduced that it’s going to provide a collection of metaverse conferences as a part of the reintegration course of for social recluses within the space. The conferences shall be held in hybrid kind, with social recluses having the chance of attending in particular person or on-line, permitting a protected haven for assembly and speaking about their widespread issues.
There shall be six of those occasions in 2023, organized by the Kazoku Hikikomori Japan nonprofit, with a capability for as much as 80 members, 50 within the metaverse platform, and 30 within the designated venue. The conferences shall be held in a metaverse area designed by Kazoku Hikikomori, with distant customers having the ability to protect their identities utilizing avatars if desired.
About this initiative, a ward officer defined:
We wish to provide a spot the place they’d assume ‘I wish to be there with the others.’
The Hikikomori Concern
The social exclusion (or hikikomori) drawback in Japan is a situation that impacts some people, who seclude themselves from society and decline to have any interplay with others. This situation is estimated to have an effect on greater than 1 million Japanese, with specialists contemplating the quantity to be larger, nearer to the two million mark.
This situation could cause issues within the households of those people, who should present for them, inflicting financial pressure. The inclusion of metaverse-based strategies in coping with this phenomenon might ostensibly assist a few of these people to at the very least work together just about with their friends.
In response to a 2021 survey, 9,096 residents have been hikikomori in Edogawa. On the attain of this motion and its significance, Edogawa Ward Mayor Takeshi Saito acknowledged:
We don’t assume every little thing shall be solved simply because we provide a metaverse. It’ll most likely be useful for some folks. We’re concentrating on those that can’t depart their rooms and haven’t been interacting with different folks. We wish to assist them take a step ahead.
One other initiative of this sort, concentrating on college absenteeism in Toda Metropolis, was introduced in October, additionally utilizing metaverse tech to permit college students to roam digital campuses whereas making ready to attend common courses ultimately.
What do you concentrate on the usage of metaverse tech to assist in fixing the social reclusion drawback? Inform us within the feedback part beneath.
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