What’s driving Japan’s incel violence and South Korea’s ‘semen terrorism’?

In both countries, a toxic mix of intense social isolation and changing gender dynamics has contributed to several high-profile cases of violent misogyny

Experts say the threat of gendered violence has been exacerbated in hi-tech, hyperconnected societies where young men have become starved of interaction

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Yusuke Tsushima was arrested after stabbing 10 people on a train in Tokyo. Photo: Handout

Published: 3:00pm, 12 Sep 2021Updated: 12:39am, 2 May 2023

In the 1990s, Japan’s emerging phenomenon of hikikomori – young people shutting themselves away from society – prompted much hand-wringing, self-reflection and cultural criticism.

Two decades later, the pressures that caused thousands of young Japanese to shun the outside world have grown more acute. More alarmingly, a toxic mix of intense social isolation and changing gender dynamics has contributed to several cases of “incels” – involuntarily celibate young men – violently targeting women.

In neighbouring South Korea, where societal changes have also produced a challenge to traditional gender roles, lawmakers have recently grappled with the phenomenon of “semen terrorism” and whether it should be treated as a sex crime.

Last month, 36-year-old Yusuke Tsushima attacked other passengers on a train in west Tokyo with a knife. During the rampage, 10 people were injured, including a 20-year-old university student who sustained at least 10 stab wounds to her back and chest.

According to police, Tsushima was motivated by resentment towards women after being ridiculed at social gatherings and being rejected while using dating services.

“I have been wanting to kill happy-looking women for the past six years,” Tsushima told police. “Anyone would have been OK.”

In recent years, there have been other high-profile cases of violent misogyny.