Very interesting article. I think one of the factors contributing to the growing pessimism in the youths of not just Japan but also many other developed countries is the decreasing level of interpersonal contact which, ironically, has been facilitated by advances in communications technology. The Internet in particular has contributed significantly to the increase in the social isolation of young people in the past decade or so and this is evidenced by the lack of social skills seen in the young people of today, as compared with the young people of the previous generations.