http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/20/young-people-japan-stopped-having-sex?commentpage=1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24614830 It looks as if Japanese men and women under 40 are increasingly avoiding sexual relationships with each other and sometimes even going out of their way to avoid any kind of relationship with the opposite sex. There's many factors at play here. The main reason seems to be younger men rejecting the workaholic culture that their fathers engaged in, which required longer hours at the office as well as marrying and raising a family on the side. That kind of lifestyle doesn't seem to work as well for the younger generation, and many of them have seen the destructive nature of living like that, so they have decided to just drop out. Some have even decided to engage in virtual sex only. Another reason is more women joining the workforce. This isn't a bad thing, but it does shatter the old narrative of a woman having to marry a workaholic man to succeed. Now young women have their own careers and their own money, and are rejecting early marriage. There's lots of people freaking out over this and even Japanese government officials are raising concerns about the declining birth rate, but I think this is actually a good thing. Not only is the old way of life non compatible with modern life, the country of Japan is already overpopulated as it is. Perhaps this is evolution at work here, where the population at whole decides to slow down reproduction on a massive scale.
Their women prefer non-Japanese men That's a huge non-sequiter, since most people's 'sexual relationships are not exclusive to 'marriage' or 'raising kids'. If anything, it's the remenents of the workaholic culture still at play - but combined with new innovations for entertainment (such as computers, video games, or even free internet porn) - offers distractions from sexual relationships. Again your logic is completely flawed - a "workaholic cultures" is less conductive to sexual relationships - since it offers less free time and emphasized discipline over 'fun'. So if anything, a loosening of a workaholic culture would encourage more sexual relationships. So that would seem to have no relation to it - if anything I would venture that they are just spending more time on video games or free net porn. Again you're, for whatever reason, equating "marriage" or "raising children" to sex - I don't understand that, since the majority of sexual activity which people engage in has nothing to do with 'marriage' or 'raising children' Using porn as a 'replacement' for a legitimate relationship is not a good thing - that is psychologically unhealthy, and will lead to dissatisfaction - since you cannot have a "relationship" with an image on a screen, or a blow up doll (anymore than you can with a child or an animal, for that matter) Again your premise is backwards logic - how does "more work" (ex. more time spent at the office) = "more time for sexual activity"? Sexual relationships and childbirth are not mutually inclusive, I don't understand.
You're right. They aren't mutually exclusive, but they do lead lead children more often than a single lifestyle.
That's true - but I do not believe that the majority of people 'abstain' from sexual relationships just because "they're afraid of having children" - it may be that porn is more socially acceptable in Japan, and a lot of young men are using porn 'as a substitute' for a sexual relationship. I don't find 'using porn' as a substitute for a relationship healthy, because you 'can't bond' or be truly intimate with an image on a screen, or a doll that has a fake vagina
They are called Herbivore men. It is estimated that 1/3 of men are not interested in relationships. Some of those men have expressed that they despise sex. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=116w5U3QnbA The government is concerned because these Herbivore men are not interested in work. How do you tax someone who doesn't want to work. And the government is concerned because with a society top heavy with old people means not enough young people supporting the system.
If they're interested in porn, then they are interested in "sex" - they're just taking the 'lazy' route to orgasim
Most societies have a family values platform such as religion or cultural pressure or state incentives. How has Japan changed where that is not the case? The promotion of child bearing and raising is in the best interests of Japan so I am curious what has changed in their society.
The technology age has changed it (and for the worse) - even if they're 'becoming less workaholic' - they are still much more workaholic than we are, meaning young Japanese men don't have as much free time - and with the advent of the internet, and other distractions such as free porn sites, this has apparently superseded actual relationships for some But how that is a good thing, I have no idea. Tell me how you can genuinely be intimate with a pornographic image like you can with a woman? And tell me how using porn as a substitute for real sex is psychologically healthy (you aren't genuinely bonding with anything - you're basically just fantasizing about your mindless digital sex slave). Pretty sad if you ask me.
It sounds like they need to find a motivator to get the idea of procreation and relationships back into vogue. Of course I would be looking towards the Church here in Kansas but in Japan I do not know what would be culturally acceptable.
Eventually, they'll reach the same solution most wealthy countries do -- immigration. Japan is still a very xenophobic nation, so it will take some time for them to accept the idea of letting more people into their country as their own "native" population ages out.
Other nations in the area though such as China, are very xenophobic toward Japan for their atrocities in WWII - so I can't see Chinese for example, having much of a desire to immigrate there
This is true, and there are recent tensions between their governments having to do with boundaries and land. Koreans are one of the more common immigrant groups in Japan, however. More of them would probably immigrate there if the policies were less strict.
As I posted on a previous occasion, Japan's birth rate has surged to 1.41 in 2012 and the government's efforts to boost the nation's birth rate are working. Childcare benefits are now being handed out to young families with school-age children to make up for their declining incomes. The problem is that full-time jobs are increasingly replaced by part-time jobs which now make up around 50% of available jobs since the collapse of the bubble economy. As a result, only those men, who are gainfully employed, can afford to get married and it has nothing to do with peculiar sexual habits as humourously speculated by the media. http://www.politicalforum.com/showthread.php?t=310173
