“Bocchi” and “solo activity” that triggered the murder of four people, while affirming the fear of isolation spreading to the young generation: Tokyo Shimbun TOKYO Web

A barricade incident in Nakano City, Nagano Prefecture, where four people were killed. Masanori Aoki, a 31-year-old farmer who was arrested, is said to have stated his motive, such as “I was ridiculed by a woman as ‘botchi’.” “Bocchi” is an abbreviation for “alone”, a word that has taken root among the younger generation in the last decade or so. Is the negative image that loners carry strong enough to cause such an incident? How should society deal with isolated people? (Ikuko Kihara, Takuya Kishimoto)

◆ “The impact of corona? Even one person is fine” “I don’t want to be thought of as a lonely child”

Around noon on the 2nd, around the campus of Nihon University (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), one of Japan’s leading mammoth private universities. Students who finished their classes came out one after another.

“I don’t know if it’s a negative word, but recently I’ve been using it in a self-deprecating way. ‘The next class is a loner, isn’t it?’ It’s not a heavy word, but an extremely light one,” said Aiko (19), a second-year law student. He said, “I don’t really use it for other people,” so he was surprised by the Nagano incident. “I was cornered so far with ‘Bocchi’…”. Another 20-year-old man said, “Even when I see people who are ‘botchi’, I can only think that they cherish their alone time.”

How many ‘bocchi’ are there? An 18-year-old first-year man who was on his way to judo practice after class said, “I’m fine.” When I was beckoned and followed, I got a glimpse of the common space of the university from outside. Among the students who spread their lunch boxes and chatted, there were some students who were eating by themselves. “Hey? Don’t you feel like you don’t care about ‘botchi’? It’s normal.”

Yu, 22, and Tomo, 21, third-year students who were discussing job hunting, said, “I wonder if the coronavirus is having an effect, but I’m fine even if I’m alone.” “I can finally talk face-to-face like this. Until then, classes were all online due to the coronavirus. In a sense, everyone was ‘botchi’…” he shrugged.

On the other hand, it was the first graders who were having fun together under one umbrella. A 19-year-old woman from Yamagata has just become friends with a 19-year-old woman from Saitama City next door. “April’s entrance ceremony is really lonely. I was desperate because I had to get out of it quickly. The few minutes before class starts is the game. Sit next to a child who looks good and talk to him. It’s the worst if you make a mistake.” . “Bocchi” is not enough? “Because people think I’m a lonely child without friends. I don’t like that.”

◆Nine years ago, the theme was “loneliness and loneliness are one letter different.”

In fact, 9 years ago in 2014, the “here special news department” was covering “botchi”. It depicts the reality that there are young people who eat “toilet meals” in private toilets so as not to be noticed that they are isolated. This was just around the time the suspect was in college. The article reads, “Loneliness and loneliness are two different words. There is no need to be afraid.”

We moved to the area around JR Ochanomizu Station, where many universities are located, and had them read articles from that time. Hi-kun (20), a third-year student at Meiji University’s Faculty of Literature, said, “It’s a little exaggerated to say that being ‘botchi’ is a solitary island or aloof. Either way is fine.”On the other hand, “Spring is fineFierce（Shiretsu）is. She may be as desperate as she was 10 years ago to avoid being alone,” said Haru (21), a second-year student at Ochanomizu University. “It feels like you don’t have citizenship unless you belong to some group. When you’re alone, you don’t say, ‘Why is that girl?’

Akihito (20), a third-year student at the University of Tokyo, who was born in Aichi Prefecture, said with a wry smile, “At the University of Tokyo, there are a lot of people who are ‘botchi’. I’m probably ‘botchi’ too, but I don’t care.” Because it’s because I don’t want to say it in my heart.In the sense of putting up a line of defense, I think there’s an aspect that I’m self-deprecating before I’m told.”

◆Dropped out of university in Tokyo saying, “I was ridiculed as ‘botchi’.”

An investigation by the Nagano Prefectural Police revealed that Aoki had been isolated for a long time in the Nagano Prefecture barricading case.

According to investigative sources, about 10 years ago, Aoki, who was a student at a private university in the Kanto region, confessed to his parents that he was being ridiculed as ‘botchi’ at university, and dropped out of college. He returned to his hometown, changed positions as an officer of the local annual festival, and tended to become isolated in the area.

A certain “incident” occurred when I started working at a gelato shop that my parents actually run from August last year. It is said that when Aoki heard the students who were helping out at the store saying, “In Tokyo, you’re a loner,” he said, “I made a fool of myself.” It seems that the word “botchi” reminded him of his painful past in isolation.

Even so, “botchi” is so stigma (negativebrand（Rakuin）) and why?

Yoichi Akashi, professor emeritus at Chiba University (educational sociology), said, “There are more and more students who value their own area and maintain a certain distance from others, but also hate being alone and evaluated by those around them.” After doing so, we speculate as to why. “The number of friends and likes is visualized on SNS, and the value of having more people is evaluated, which may have an effect in terms of conformity pressure.” On the other hand, he added, “Recently, I often see students eating lunch alone.

Keio Line Incident, Prime Minister’s Attacker… From Solitude to Serious Case

But loneliness can sometimes lead to serious crimes. Kyota Hattori, who attacked a passenger on the Keio Line with a knife in 2021, said, “I wanted to be executed. I failed at work and had trouble with friends.” Former death row inmate Tomohiro Kato, who killed seven people and injured ten others in Akihabara, Tokyo in 2008, is believed to have been motivated by his deepening loneliness as he lost his job and friends.

Ryuji Kimura, who was arrested in April of this year for the explosive attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Wakayama Prefecture, and Tetsuya Yamagami, who was arrested and indicted for the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July last year, are also socially responsible. It has been pointed out that he may have become a loan offender (single attacker) against the background of isolation in .

In a 2013 report by a Ministry of Justice research institute that investigated 52 people who committed indiscriminate killings, most cited “dissatisfaction with their own circumstances and the current situation” as their motive. Only three had close friends, and he pointed out that lack of friendships was one of the characteristic tendencies.

◆ Most people are in their 20s, one in four feels lonely

According to the “National Survey on Understanding the Reality of Loneliness and Isolation” released by the Cabinet Secretariat in March, when looking at the number of people who answered that they “often/always” or “sometimes” feel lonely by age group, the highest number was They were in their 20s (total 27.0%).

The government has also launched measures to combat loneliness, including among the elderly. On May 31st, the Act on Promotion of Loneliness and Isolation Measures was enacted to support people who are lonely or isolated in society. The issue of loneliness and isolation will be specified as an “issue for society as a whole,” and efforts will be made to strengthen support in cooperation with local governments.

How should society deal with the loneliness of young people? In recent years, there has been a tendency to positively perceive “solo activities”, such as camping, eating, hobbies, etc. different from

Hideki Wada, a psychiatrist, said, “We need to stop the strange culture of having many friends and agreeing with them because they are afraid of being left out.” “Some people say that human relationships must be real and social, but some students have become more comfortable since they can take online classes at university. Some people are more adaptable to games and virtual spaces. We must aim for a society that accepts diverse ideas and ways of life.”

◆ Desk memo

Isolation and loneliness are not good, and the more you try to reduce the number of people who are lonely, the more you may become more fearful of becoming a loner. Also, despair may increase when you become lonely. I don’t look at you strangely when I’m alone, but I’ll help you if you’re in trouble. (walk)