Japan, while being a tourist’s dream destination and extremely advanced in areas of technology and more, has always struggled with the human aspect of it. Things like mental health, work-life balance, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ acceptance, and more are still a long way from being normalised there.
In the midst of this, a secret industry has come under the scanner that allows a person to completely disappear from their life for a fee.
These organisations are called yonigeya – literally translated as “fly-by-night movers”– and they help clients to disappear quickly and quietly. But what is this industry, and how does it work?
What Is This Industry?
According to a Los Angeles Times report, these yonigeya are usually approached by people wanting to disappear to escape shame, debt, domestic strife, or stifling social expectations. Their exits aren’t driven by foul play, but by the crushing weight of societal pressures.
There is even a term in Japanese for these people, who are called Jōhatsu. It specifically refers to people in Japan who choose to disappear from their lives without leaving any trace.
However, this phrase is not limited only to Japanese people, being witnessed in various other countries like the United States, China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
There are several reasons why someone might become jōhatsu in Japan. These include:
- Japan’s rigid work culture, where even something as simple as quitting a company is seen as shameful
- The lack of family and community support for someone who might be facing a tough situation. Most of the time, Japanese culture emphasises the ostracism of such individuals or encourages them to handle it on their own, thereby reinforcing the concept of family shame and honour.
- There is also the high number of suicides and the concept of karoshi, which means working to death, that could be behind this phenomenon.
Read More: Watch: Why Are The Japanese Dying Of Overwork?
Sociologist Hiroki Nakamori also commented on this phenomenon, explaining that Japan’s strong emphasis on personal privacy and limited police intervention in non-criminal disappearances just makes it easier for people to evaporate or disappear.
Speaking with the BBC, Nakamori said, “In Japan, it’s just easier to evaporate.”
The data for 2015 from Japan’s National Police Agency claimed that almost 82,000 missing persons were reported, although most were found by year-end.
However, French journalist Léna Mauger, who has worked on such cases, according to an Economic Times report, claims that almost 100,000 people disappear in Japan every year. Many are battling “depression, addiction, or the crushing shame of divorce and bankruptcy” and believe it’s just easier to disappear than face family and loved ones with the shame of failure.
How Does The Process Work?
The process for this service usually starts with a phone call from a client who feels they have no other choice.
During this call, the case itself and the eventual costs are discussed. Usually, the fees can range $2,000 to $20,000 (approximately Rs 1.7 lakh to Rs 17.5 lakh) based on how far and the level of risk involved in the move.
This is then followed up by a company meeting with the client to evaluate the threat level, which can involve loan sharks, stalkers, or abusive family members. They also assess the property to determine what can be moved discreetly.
The planning for the escape can take anywhere from a week to ten days and involves the yonigeya studying the risks, the timing and how to make the move without drawing attention. For high-risk scenarios, such as if a client is under surveillance, the yonigeya might pose as workers like window washers, delivery workers or tradesmen to avoid suspicion while on the property.
Some instances can also require extreme measures, like a mock kidnapping being staged to avoid suspicion.
Hiroyuki Ono from the firm Agent Express, according to reports, has revealed that they favour late-night operations, as debt collectors in Japan are legally prohibited from contacting people after 8 pm. Some have shown a preference for late mornings, using the neighbours and general public as distractions.
In the days before the movie, the company moves small items in backpacks or small bags, storing them in a separate location. Larger furniture items are either left behind or bought by disguised yonigeya.
On the day of the move, the family is told to follow a normal routine. In case of an entire family being moved, all the members might be sent on fictitious appointments, like the father going for a “sales call”, the mother going “shopping” and children taken from school for a “doctor’s appointment.”
The team quickly moves in once the house is clear, packs boxes, with lookouts to avoid pursuers and leave. The movers also help clients establish a new life, usually by moving them to big cities like Tokyo or Osaka, since anonymity is easier to maintain there.
New accommodation, mobile phones, and vehicles registered under different names can also be arranged. Clients are usually advised to ditch things like existing identity documents, bank cards, and even their cars, to avoid being tracked.
However, not all is hunky dory, as with the benefits, there are also ways that this same service is being mistreated and people are being left in an uncertain and turbulent life.
As per reports, a whistleblower had revealed that many clients, after paying exorbitant fees (¥1.5–¥1.8 million), would find themselves with no legal ID, stuck in informal jobs, and plunging into deeper instability.
Most firms also demand payment upfront, which sometimes forces clients to take out further loans to fund their escape.
There is also the issue of either the clients ending up homeless or injured, or being made to do cash-based labour, like construction, hostess bars, and such, that are not really regulated carefully.
Along with this, cases of clients ending in an even worse situation than what they were escaping from have been reported.
Japan’s fly‑by‑night industry highlights the emotional and social shadows lurking beneath a polished surface that the country doesn’t really want to acknowledge.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Moneycontrol, Time Magazine, News18
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Japan, Japan’s Missing People, Johatsu, Japan Johatsu, Japan, Japan secret fly-by-night industry, japan yonige-ya, japan fly-by-night
Disclaimer: We do not hold any rights or copyright over any of the images used; these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly email us.
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