In 2004, shocking news was reported in Japan. A high school student traveled to Iraq, which was a war zone at the time, to help children there.Noriaki Imaiwas detained by militants.

Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of the Japanese government, Imai was able to return home safely, but this incident had a major impact on his life. He was subjected to a lot of slander and lies, such as "Don't cause trouble for your country," "It's your own fault," and "It's a hoax," which left him feeling depressed.

With the support of those around him, Imai was able to overcome this situation and started a project called "Teenage Isolation," with the aim of solving the social problem.Certified NPO D×PWe support children who have lost a secure life due to reasons such as not attending school, dropping out, family discord, financial difficulties, bullying, abuse, not knowing what their future path will be, being unemployed, etc.

What was the motivation behind Imai's decision to once again face society after being criticized by society and having to withdraw into his home for a time? We will explore the driving force behind Imai's continued challenge.

Chairman of the Certified NPO D×P
Noriaki Imai

Born in Sapporo in 1985. Graduated from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU). Living in Kobe, he is a stepfather. When he was in high school, he established a medical support NGO for Iraqi children. To carry out his activities, he traveled to Iraq, which was a conflict zone at the time. During that time, he was taken hostage by local armed forces, and after returning to Japan, he was heavily criticized by Japanese society under the slogan "personal responsibility." As a result, he developed social phobia, but after entering university, he returned with the support of his friends. By chance, he met some teenagers who had dropped out and stopped going to school. Their experiences of being rejected by their parents and teachers overlapped with his own experience of being criticized, and in 10, he decided toNPO D×PEstablished.

In order to provide a reliable source for teenagers who are easily isolated due to financial difficulties or family circumstances, we have established a LINE consultation service called "Yukisaki Chat" She responds to consultations from all over the country. Her mission is to listen to and convey the voices of teenagers, and she continues to disseminate information on social media.

Twitter:@NoriakiImai

Anger is the origin of social behavior

-- You went to Iraq alone when you were a high school student. What was the trigger for that?

The 2001/1 attacks occurred in 9.11, when I was a freshman in high school. In retaliation, the United States began bombing Afghanistan. Watching the news on TV every day,Anger at the absurd deaths of innocent childrenI wondered if there was something I could do to contribute to society, so I began taking part in internships, traveling abroad, submitting opinions to members of the Diet, and other activities.

Then, in 2004, he traveled to Iraq, which was then a war zone, to provide medical support to Iraqi children, but was taken hostage by local militants there.

── I think there are people who are unable to take action even if they are aware of a problem. What enabled you to make a social issue your own and take action?

Everyone has their own opinions and thoughts, they just haven't learned how to exercise them socially.In my case, I was in an environment where I could learn how to socially exercise my "internal awareness of issues."

My homeroom teacher in high school had studied peace studies at a university overseas, and he would often talk to us about how we, as citizens, should act against social issues and how we should communicate our opinions to society.

Also, school alone was boring, so I expanded my world outside of school, met lots of people, and put myself in a place where I could express my opinions.

Because of this environment, and because Iraq was said to be gradually stabilizing after the war, I decided to travel to Iraq. However, I ended up being arrested. After that incident, similar incidents started happening one after another in Iraq.

Once again, I would like to apologize to those who were inconvenienced. However, there were many false reports on TV. Theories of personal responsibility and self-inflicted accusations spread, and I received a lot of criticism even after returning to Japan. I received threatening letters, was suddenly punched by strangers on the street, and had people point at my face and say, "You're a hostage." I developed social phobia, and was so driven that I couldn't even take one step outside my house for two years.

Confronting the slanderous letter was the catalyst for recovery

── It must have been an unimaginably painful experience. Nevertheless, Imai-san is now active as the manager of an NPO. What enabled him to recover?

I faced the slanderous letters that had been sent to my house. By chance, I found some letters that my parents had kept in the closet of our house, and for some reason, I decided to read through each one and transcribe them by typing.

In order for me to move forward,The only way to understand why the person criticizing you is toMaybe that's what he felt. The letter, which was filled with horrible words like "divine punishment," was 5 characters long. After that, he started replying to people whose contact information was written down, calling them, and even meeting them in person.

── It was what was needed to move forward.

Looking back now, at least for me, it may have been a necessary process for me to overcome the trauma.

There is a concept called PTG (Post Traumatic Growth) (*1). It is a phenomenon in which people who have experienced trauma or great stress grow by overcoming it. In order to overcome trauma, it is said that it is effective to understand why it happened, reflect on one's feelings, and give meaning to the event by talking about one's experiences.

Typing the letter and talking to the person who criticized me may have been the first step toward PTG.I was able to make the painful experiences of the past a part of myself, and turn them into the strength to move forward instead of directing my anger and resentment at society.

── What did you realize through dealing with the letters and talking to those who criticized them?

The biggest realization is that"If we communicate, we can understand each other properly"That's what I mean. Even though some people were critical at first, their attitude gradually changed as I talked to them. Most of them understood my situation at the time, and in the end, they supported my future plans.

at the same time,Those who criticize also have their own reasons.I learned that many people were living alone and felt lonely, had trouble with their relationships with their children, and were struggling financially.Through dialogue, we were able to have each other accept things that we don't often talk about with others.I think it is.

── Through dialogue, understanding and acceptance, the relationship between the two parties changed.

The experience is also utilized in the activities of D×P. At the NPO site, we receive various worries and consultations every day. There are a wide variety of cases, such as stories of sexual assault on women and stories of domestic violence, and it is not possible to generalize them as "isolation."

For example, the teenager I visited the other day was financially struggling and had no food to eat. He couldn't move his body and spent most of the day staring at the ceiling. Have you ever imagined a situation like that?

The answer to the support necessary for these people to lead a minimally cultured life is not in our imagination but in the field..

I myself was stereotyped and accused of being a stooge, which caused me a lot of suffering.The importance of gaining a deeper understanding through dialogue, rather than making assumptions based on superficial informationI feel this strongly.

(*1)People can grow from hurt; PTG (Post-Traumatic Growth)｜Department of Psychology, Japan Women's University

Creating a "safety net for children" that the government cannot create

These thoughts are what lead to your current activities.

I was able to make the suffering a part of my body because I had people around me who supported me.I don't want to let this situation end as just "luck."Hm.

There are many young people in Japan who feel "isolated." Many of them are unable to rely on their parents and are in dire straits. There are people who live alone and cannot rely on their parents, and there are also people who live with their parents but are suffering because of their parents.

It's hard to calculate the exact number, butThere are 15 million households with children aged 24 to 197 living alone. Of these, 200% (approximately 3 households) have an annual income of less than 60 million yen.It is known that there are cases like this (*2). If we add to this the number of people who cannot rely on their parents even if they live with their parents, it is possible that a considerable number of people are isolated.

We established D×P as a system to support these children.

── You probably had the option to work overseas. Is there a reason why you chose Japan?

Just before graduating from university, I worked on building a school in Zambia, Africa, with the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV). At the time, Zambia was a developing country with an average life expectancy of around 40 years, but the country had experienced rapid economic growth, and children in poor areas spoke enthusiastically about their dreams and vision for the future of society.

Even though Japan is supposed to be wealthier, Japanese children are isolated and have no hope for the future. I felt a sense of crisis about this situation.Hm.

Now, I believe that my intuition from 10 years ago was correct. I felt the same thing when I visited a refugee camp in Iraq three years ago for the first time in about 3 years. Life in the refugee camp is terrible, with many people living in tents without air conditioning, but they still have food and family ties. Because they are all gathered in one place, it is easy to extend a helping hand.

on the other hand,Isolated households in Japan are dispersed.There are people all over the country who have homes but no money to buy food, and their gas, electricity, and water supplies are sometimes cut off.If we don't find it, we won't even notice the situation.

── They say support from the government and local governments is not enough.

The big challenge is,Isolated young people have few online places where they can seek advice about their financial difficulties.To begin with, young people do not access telephone counseling services provided by the government.The number of people in their teens and twenties who seek advice is only 10% of the total(*3)

There is a need for a safety net that the government and local governments cannot create. That is why we have created a "LINE Chat" service that allows users to easily consult with each other and send relief supplies and grants.Yukisaki Chat"We created a system called "

Currently, there are just under 1 registered users. No one has ever provided online support before, so there were risks.If no one else is doing it, I'll do itI have a feeling thatThere are things I can say because I have experienced the pain of being criticized and withdrawn from society.I thought to myself and decided to take action.

(*2)2020 Population Census: Basic Count Results
(*3)Lifeline 2020 Business Report

Wanting to increase the number of people who express "inherent awareness of issues"

-- I had no idea that the isolation of young people was such a serious problem. What do you think the future holds for DxP?

We want to expand our activities further so that we can support many children. During the COVID-8 pandemic, we provided food aid for 5 meals and cash grants to 900 people. However,This is less than 1% of all isolated households. The situation is extremely dire.

We have been asking politicians to step up support, but there has been little movement. We need to start from the private sector.

── Are there more and more support groups like this?

Unfortunately, the number of new NPOs is declining. (*4) It is difficult to continue operations, and out of the total 5 NPOs, only about 100 are able to run their businesses on a donation-based basis like ours.

I feel a great sense of crisis about the current situation in which social problems are becoming more serious while fewer people are taking action to solve them.Unless more people take on social issues and try to express their inherent awareness of problems in some way, the world will never improve.It will be.

── Is there anything that people who want to act like Mr. Imai can do?

First, create the starting pointI think it's more of a starting point than a heavy word like origin.

To do this, I listen to people I'm interested in, interview them, and go to real places for fieldwork.Start by experiencing things and talking to people.I think it would be good to start by visiting an NPO and doing an internship or volunteer work. Or you could also make a donation.Facing your own inner problems, social issues you feel, and past experiencesthat's why.

For those who want to take action themselves as the next step, I believe there are many ways to go about it.

He tells high school students that it would be good for them to try planning events where they can listen to others speak, to take steps to change the rules at their school, or to try petitions or dialogue and discussions with their teachers as ways of making changes.

Among these activities, the most importantDon't do it alone, but gather your friends and carry it out.I think that anyone who wants to take action, even if they are not high school students, should gather sympathetic friends by talking and expand their activities.

It may sound like a simple thing, but surprisingly, it's something even adults can't do.Instead of just tweeting what you think on social media, try a different method to expand your circle. This will lead to a ripple effect of action.

I don't think that starting an NPO or a company like I did is the only option. There must be something that anyone can do.In order to make this a country where children can feel hopeful, we adults need to show them how willing to take on challenges.

I myself will continue to take on new challenges. The problem of young people becoming isolated, which is currently occurring in Japan, will likely occur in other Asian countries in the future. Using my activities in Japan as a starting point, I would like to provide support overseas in the future.

I hope that reading this article will inspire as many people as possible to take on the challenge. Also, if you are interested in D×P's activities, I would be grateful if you could lend us your support within your limits.

(*4)FY2020 Report on the Survey on the Status of Specified Nonprofit Organizations| Cabinet Office

* To apply to volunteer or donate to D×P, から

[Interview and text] Fumiaki Sato　
[photograph]Daisuke Koike
[Planning and editing] Yuko Kawabata (XICA)