A record-high 25% of first-time marriages in Japan now involve an older wife. Data reveals the reality of Reiwa-era marriage and that the classic "men work, women handle the home" trap hinders matchmaking efforts.
Historically, marriages in Japan with an age gap tended to feature an older husband. However, marriages where the woman is older are now on the rise, according to government date from 2024. Of course, this might be as little as one or two years older, though there are examples of celebrities marrying or dating where the woman is significantly older (Koyuki, Rinko Kikuchi, Aki ...
We are in June, which means we are in Pride month, which means we should expect to see a lot more stories like this rolling through the media.
A new survey has found that 10.6% of people in Japan identify as LGBTQ+. The poll asked 46,658 individuals aged 20 to 59.
The survey was run by advertising giant Dentsu, whose interest in the subject perhaps shows how important and potentially lucrative the LGBTQ+ yen is to corporate brands.
Dentsu has previously carried out similar surveys, the last one of which was in 2023, which found that 9.7% self-identify as LGBTQ+. Presumably, greater ...
Discussions are underway regarding a review of the Prostitution Prevention Law, including the possibility of penalties for those who pay for sex services. According to a report in the Asahi Shimbun on March 31, the discussions draw on data from a large-scale survey of 8,000 people revealing that approximately 48% of men living in Japan have used sex industry services at least once in their lives.
The survey was undertaken by a team including researchers from the University of Tokyo. It was conducted online in July 2022, targeting 8,000 people (4,000 men and 4,000 women) aged 20-49. Its main ...
Approximately 40% of women working in broadcasting in Japan said that they have received "sexual advances," according to a new survey.
A research team including the University of Tokyo Graduate School surveyed men and women who have worked in the broadcasting industry via email and other means, and found that around a significant number of women had received "sexual advances," and some had even been forced into sexual relations.
The open survey was conducted between May 2025 and January 2026, targeting people with experience working at a broadcasting station, regardless of employment status ...
Lady Gaga sang of bad romance. Was she singing about Japan?
For the fourth consecutive year, Japan's "romantic satisfaction" rate has ranked among lowest in an international poll.
According to a survey by the Paris-based Ipsos, 51% of people in Japan are satisfied with "feeling loved," significantly lower than the 29-country average of 77%.
Only 33% of Japanese respondents were satisfied with their romantic and sex lives, a 6-point decrease from 2025 -- and the lowest satisfaction rate among the 29 countries (the 29-country average was 60%). Only 6% of respondents in Japan said they were ...
Meiji Yasuda Research Institute's Survey on Romance and Marriage has found that 76.3%, or more than three in four unmarried people, say they are not in a relationship, up from the previous survey in 2023.
Interest in romance and relationships is also declining, with fewer people expressing a desire to get married. Women cited "not feeling the need to get married," while men cited "less disposable income."
The survey was conducted online from December 12-21, 2025, targeting 8,872 men and women aged 18-54 nationwide (3,909 married and 4,963 unmarried).
While we often take issue with the ...
Marriage counseling company Presia found that 70% of married Japanese women regret marrying their husbands, according to results in a survey report announced on January 7.
And the reason they regret their marriages? It's not what you might immediately think: appearance and fashion actually came in as the top results when polled on things they were willing to compromise on when selecting their partner. So if they didn't really mind too much what hubby looks like, why do they now regret marrying him?
Low income. This ranked by far the highest among the results when women were asked what they ...
Over 90% of married women are happy, according to recently published survey results.
The survey was carried out online in January with 200 adult men and women (100 each). Hardly a big sample size, though the results were surprisingly uniform.
Of the 100 women, 94 said that they were happy after marrying. This isn't quite the same as saying they were happy in or with their marriage (as in, the specific conditions of their marriage or their spouse), nor do we have data for how long these women had been married. Inevitably, the shine does come off and the daily toil of working long hours, ...
Oh no. One of those surveys has appeared.
Despite our best efforts to celebrate the diverse and exciting sexual landscape in Japan, these perennial surveys reporting on sexlessness in the country get lots more attention and tarnish the reputation (probably made worse by our own regurgitation of them on these digital pages).
Of course, decline in sexual activities between long-term partners is common across the world and so is a decline in dating and sex among the young, though the reporting on it in Japan tends to veer toward the orientalist.
This latest survey is a bit different, because ...
We already wrote about this story back in September but now the mainstream foreign media is starting to pick up the survey by the Japanese Association for Sex Education, which examines the rate of sex and other forms of intimacy among junior and senior high school students.
Perhaps prompted by the publication of the full version of the survey and new reports about it in the Japanese media, liberal bastion the Guardian recently ran an article bemoaning the falling numbers of male Japanese school students who had never kissed.
As noted in September, the survey results indicate that only one ...
