December 17, 2024

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

A rise in crimes called “dark part-time jobs” (yami baito in Japanese) has become a serious social problem.

“Dark part-time job” is a new type of organized crimes carried out by ad hoc groups where members are told to use communication apps providing anonymity and are assigned to different roles each time in order to make it difficult for the police to identify the ringleaders.

In addition, members, chiefly young adults, are lured by shady part-time job offers like those promising high rewards which are posted on social media.

As a factor for the emergence of crimes linked to “dark part-time jobs”, Ryukoku University Professor Hamai Koichi pointed out that poverty and social isolation have become ever more serious among young adults. He made this remark based on his experience of interviewing teenagers who took part in shady jobs and were sent to juvies. The professor, on a BS news program aired on November 20, said that those interviewed claimed that they would not have applied for dark part-time jobs, if they had lived in a society where they can have hope for a brighter future.

In a recent survey conducted by the Japan Foundation targeting people aged 18 from six countries (Japan, China, India, South Korea, the U.S. and the U.K.), young Japanese had the lowest percentage at 15% in response to a question asking if they believe their country will improve. The percentage of respondents to the same question was 85% for China, 78% for India, 41% for South Korea, and 25% for the U.S. and the U.K. In the 2020 UNICEF children’s happiness ranking, Japan ranked 37th among 38 OECD member states.

Many experts point out that young people have been hit hard by the negative impacts of the “lost 30 years”, such as widened poverty and social inequality, increase in the use of non-regular workers, and education ignoring children’s rights, resulted from the successive Liberal Democratic Party governments’ social and economic policies.

In dealing with the “dark part-time job” issue, it is necessary for the government to give young people a perspective which includes a hopeful future.