Wandererknight I perfectly agree when you say that often a foreign word is used in a completely different way than what was supposed to be the original.
However you do realize that the definition of NEET (in japan) you provided differs from what is explained in the very wiki page you posted?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEET
expecially the part that says: "NEET is distinct from freeter"
It is also in direct contrast with the stereotyped image of NEET. I can understand how a group of persons that don't work at all is seen as a social problem, but how can a freeter be a social problem? It can be seen as something odd, but certainly not as a parasite.
There is also the implicit definition expressed by Sato on Welcome to NHK: "As long as you are engaged in some kind of activity you are not a NEET".
This lead me to believe that there is a lot of confusion about this term in Japan, and so the definition might vary depending on the source or the point of view.