Being young in Japan isn't what it used to be. And many young Japanese are probably rather pleased by the timing of their births, not envying the lifeless lifestyles of their elders. However, many of those who are tuning out and turning off find themselves stuck at home and working for peanuts; accidental rebels without much independence or many prospects. Yuji Genda is an articulate advocate who, in explaining why job discrimination against young Japanese is folly, demolishes various myths.
The twin foundations of post-Word War II Japan -- stable families and secure jobs -- are ever less stable and secure. Divorce and suicide rates are rising while firms are jettisoning paternalistic employment practices. All this, too, in one of the world's most rapidly aging societies where Japan's social services have not kept pace and the needs of the elderly are largely the burden of their family. Both at home and at work, Japanese are facing harrowing anxieties.
Assessing this upheaval, Genda argues that it is the young Japanese who are getting the shortest end of the stick. His take on the generation gap focuses on how the elder generation is promoting its own economic interests at the expense of young. He refutes Masahiro Yamada's concept of parasite singles, arguing that "the real parasites are the parents, the generation of middle-aged and older workers on whom society has conferred vested rights and who make their livelihood at the expense of young people."