おはようございます everyone! 
やっと朝が涼しくなってきたね！日中はまだ30℃越えだけど 
This week I will be talking about a slang that’s used to refer to ニート and 引きこもり. These two are usually used interchangeably, but they are actually different! So before we dive into today’s topic, let’s take a look at how they are different.
NEET vs.引きこもり 
NEET:
NEET is an acronym for ‘ Not in Education, Employment, or Training’, and this classification originated in the United Kingdom. People classified as a NEET are unemployed and they are not making any efforts in getting into the workforce.
引きこもり:
引（ひ）きこもり on the other hand are people that stay home and never leave their house. This means that not only do they not work, but they do not interact with people outside their homes. People classified as 引きこもり are people that have slowly lost their place outside their home, such as workplace or school. People who become a 引きこもり does not alway become one by choice, it could be due to some sort of biological condition or by stress caused by the environment they are living in.
The main difference between the two is that NEETs don’t always lock themselves in their rooms, and could have a social life. This means that not all NEETs are 引きこもり, but all 引きこもり are NEETs.
I apologize for starting this post with a depressing topic, but the topic I am going to be talking about exists due to this social issue in Japan.
朝っぱらからすんません。 
Everyone in Japan is aware about the 引きこもり・ニート problem, however, because a lot of the people that used to be on the internet back in the days fit into this classification, many replacement words/slang have been created to make the fact a bit more lighthearted.
Let’s take a look at the most used one on the internet.
自宅警備員 
自宅（じたく）: Home
警備員（けいびいん）: Security guard
This is a slang that is used to refer to NEETs and 引きこもり that stay home all day without interacting with anyone.
The exact origin of this word is unknown, however, it is said that this was first used sometime in the late 2000’s on online bulletin boards such as 2chan, and in 2007, this word ranked 7th on 「ネット流行語大賞」.
Origin 
This word was created when an user on an online bulletin board stated that they are not jobless, but instead they protected the house (as a joke). When this got posted, the people one the internet loved it since it sounded more dignifying than saying they sit at home all day doing nothing, Ever since this first usage people have been calling themselves 自宅警備員 instead of 引きこもり on the internet.
What kind of work does a 自宅警備員 do?
- Prevent break-ins (by keeping the house occupied)
- Prevent potential scams (especially if their parents are older)
- Maintaining internet to keep is a safe space for people (through internet ‘patrolling’)
- Patrolling the neighborhood (when they go to the convenience store)
People that call them selves a 自宅警備員 will tell you that this work is extremely difficult since it is a 24hr job that is mostly busy at night, there are many responsibilities, and on top of that the pay is very low.
When Kouzou Hiramatsu stepped down as a Representative and CEO of Livedoor Holdings in 2008, he said in an interview that he ‘Switched jobs to become a 自宅警備員’ and continued to say that ‘it is not easy to be a 自宅警備員 since he HAS to walk his dog, and he HAS to get a PB on MarioKart’.
Much responsibility.
Since this is a joke/slang that is used to refer to people that do not leave their house by choice, you are going to want to be careful on when, where, and who you are talking to. For example, it is completely fine to use this to talk about yourself or to your friends/strangers you meet on some websites, such as 2chan since self-deprecating jokes and insulting each other is part of the culture, but using it on someone who is home-bound due to a disability could sound very insensitive (unless they know its obviously a joke).
自宅警備員 N.E.E.T.
In a comic market held in 2012, a cosplay group dressed in a SWAT-like cosplay, with 自宅警備隊（じたくけいびたい） N.E.E.T. written on their backs appeared…
The ‘N.E.E.T.’ here is an acronym for ‘Not Employment Embattled Team’. This is a group of people that protect their own homes or things/places they like.
You might might have the same question I had, ‘How are they 自宅警備員 if they are outside of their homes?’
Apparently, as a 自宅警備員, if you have to leave your home to replenish on food or go to events to gather new merch and whatnot, you are considered as a ‘dispatched’ security guard. They call this 宅外派遣（たくがいはけん）.
Since what they do is mostly for performance and show, they are not actual hired security. Although this group was started as a joke, they actually do some work, other than protecting their homes of course. Other than cosplaying as security guards, they actually publish and distribute fanzines and they are actively involved in volunteering.
In 2013, a book called 「自宅警備隊完全読本」was published to inform the public about what kind of people 自宅警備員 are and what they do on a daily basis. The proceeds from this book and their fanzines were donated to the victims of the 東日本大震災.
Starting 2016, they started to gain enough popularity to appear on TV and also started to collaborate with many big name anime, such as Evangelion.
Although 自宅警備員 is the one that is primarily used, as it is one of the originals, there are several other good ones. Some of these are play on words of phrases that already exist.
ホームガーディアン
- This one is most likely just a translation of 自宅警備員
内交官
- Furigana: ないこうかん
- Original word: 外交官 ‘Diplomat’
- Pun: Inplomat
職務放棄員
- Furigana: しょくむほうきいん
- ‘Person that abandoned work’
代表戸締役社長
- Furigana: だいひょうとじまりやくしゃちょう
- Original word: 代表取締役社長 ‘Representative Director and President’
- Pun: Representative Door closer and CEO
一級在宅士
- Furigana: いっきゅうざいたくし
- Original word: 一級建築士 ‘First-class architect’
- Pun: First-class stay at home-er
These puns are very rough translations by me to demonstrate how ‘stupid’ they sound in Japanese.
俺は仕事してる間ずっと家に引きこもっとるから、近所の人たちには自宅警備員だと思われてそう。 
Fuga
If you missed the previous posts, you can check them out here!
