Loneliness and social isolation are increasingly recognized as social and political problems in post-industrial societies. Japan is no exception in this regard. While concerns over loneliness and social isolation as well as related phenomena such as hikikomori (“shut-ins”) or “lonely deaths” (kodokushi) are not new, they gained additional salience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The heightened sense of crisis is reflected, not least, in the establishment of a designated bureau for countermeasures against loneliness and social isolation within the Cabinet Office in 2021.

In the academic literature as well as in public policy, loneliness and social isolation are first and foremost framed as a social problem that requires “countermeasures” – i.e., public and private responses to foster social exchange and inclusion at various stages of the life course. Research in behavioral and social sciences investigates causes of loneliness and evaluates the response programs, often with a focus on particularly exposed risk groups such as children or the elderly (e.g., Tsuji 2021; Ishida 2024). However, the political effects of loneliness and social isolation have so far remained understudied. Our research project addresses this gap by investigating the connection between subjective loneliness and attitudes toward the growing diversification of society.

The potential connection between loneliness and political extremism is an emerging research field. In Europe and the US, various studies have linked loneliness to anti-feminist and xenophobic views, support for radical right (populist) parties, anti-democratic and authoritarian attitudes, or increasing social distrust (Langenkamp 2025; Das Progressive Zentrum 2023). While the causal relations driving these connections remain unclear, existing studies clearly suggests that loneliness can amplify negative reactions to various aspects connected to social diversity.

Our project integrates the case of Japan into this emerging literature. We ask, specifically, how loneliness shapes political attitudes with respect to various dimensions of social diversity. Diversity (tayōsei) and “multicultural co-existence” (tabunka kyōsei) have become prominent buzzwords in recent years, partly (but not exclusively) due to a growing presence of migrant workers in Japan. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan has also seen the rise of right-wing movements and parties “parroting” the rhetoric and some of the talking points from European and U.S. right-wing movements, including anti-immigration views and conspiracy theories (Havenstein/Schäfer 2024).

As these recent developments coincide with growing concerns over loneliness and social isolation, Japan constitutes an important test case to further the empirical and theoretical understanding of the connection between loneliness and political radicalization. 

We address our research question with a mixed-methods approach. In a first step, we design an online survey, in which we investigate the links between (self-reported) loneliness using a short Japanese version of the UCLA loneliness scale and attitudes towards several dimensions of social diversity (gender roles, gender identities/sexual minorities, lifestyles, migration). We further test for “authoritarian” attitudes and electoral behavior as well as various socio-economic control variables.

The results of the survey will form the basis for further quantitative and qualitative research to increase empirical depth.

• Das Progressive Zentrum. 2023. “Extrem einsam? Die demokratische Relevanz von Einsamkeitserfahrungen unter Jugendlichen in Deutschland“. www.progressiveszentrum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Kollekt_Studie_Extrem_Einsam_Das-ProgressiveZentrum.pdf. Accessed October 15, 2025.
• Havenstein, Linda and Fabian Schäfer. 2024. “Parroting the U.S. far-right: Former fringe party politician and conspiracy entrepreneur Yukihisa Oikawa”. The Asia-Pacific Journal - Japan Focus 22 (6).
• Ishida, Mitsunori. 2024. “Ba no sōshitsu to ba no saisei: Toshi ni okeru koritsu genshō e no taiō”. Toshi Shakai Kenkyū 16: 1-14.
• Langenkamp, Alexander. 2025. “Linking social deprivation and loneliness to right-extreme radicalization and extremist antifeminism”. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 63: 101525. Loneliness and Social Isolation Countermeasures Bureau. 2024. “Kodoku, koritsu jittai haaku ni kan suru zenkoku chōsa (Reiwa 6 nen)”. www.cao.go.jp/kodoku_koritsu/torikumi/zenkokuchousa/r6/pdf/tyosakekka_point.pdf. Accessed October 8, 2025.
• Tsuji, Yuki. 2021. “Kodoko to iu seisaku kadai: Hajime ni”. Seikatsu Keizai Seisaku 290: 4-5.