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'Evaporated people' could be disappearing from Japanese society by the thousands

A new book chronicles a disturbing trend: some Japanese citizens have started erasing their identities in an attempt to start over.

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Tormented by the shame of a lost job, failed marriage, or mounting debt, thousands of Japanese citizens have reportedly started leaving behind their formal identities and seeking refuge in the anonymous, off-the-grid world.

That's according to a recently-published book called " by French author-photographer pair Léna Mauger and Stéphane Remael. The book features a collection of vignettes from people who have fled modern society in search of a more secretive, less shame-filled life.

Mauger and Remael spent five years traveling around Japan beginning in 2008, earning the trust of locals to learn about the troubling trend. They also met the loved ones of those who disappeared: abandoned fathers, housewives, and ex-lovers. No formal government data exists on the trend, but by the pair's research more than 100,000 people "disappear" annually.

Johatsu cases seem to have emerged in the late 1960s, bolstered by a 1967 film called "A Man Vanishes," in which a man abruptly leaves behind his job and fiancee to disappear. In the 1970s, more cases emerged of young, rural-bred workers escaping harsh jobs in big cities, says Hikaru Yamagishi, who studies political science at Yale.

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One man that Mauger and Remael met said it was his job to move these johatsu to faraway towns and cities during the 1990s. He and others like him called themselves a "night movers." It was their job to shuttle people to new, undisclosed locations under the cover of darkness. According to PRI, the 1990s were a booming time for such night moves. The economy had just crashed, and many people were looking for a way out.

In their book, Mauger and Remael also shed light on the loved ones who get left behind. Often, the families of johatsu said they wish the missing person had not felt so ashamed.

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The Japanese pressure to save face manifests itself in other ways, too.

For instance, Japanese has a word to describe suicides driven by overwork: karoshi. Last October, a report

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In recent months, the Japanese government has taken small steps to reduce cases of karoshi, such as encouraging companies to let their staff work shorter hours on Friday. According to experts, however, the culture of work is so strong that many feel the incentives still don't outweigh the downsides of dropping out.

That is, unless they go the way of johatsu and walk away for good.

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