The
demographic crisis in Japan and the lack of interest in romantic relationships
have ceased to be simple internet memes and have become a cold and harsh
statistical reality. Sagami Rubber, one of the country's largest
manufacturers of condoms and adult goods, has just released the results of its
massive "Sex in Japan 2026 Edition" survey, and the
numbers are a rather bleak portrait of the love lives of Japanese youth.
Virginity
in your 20s is already the norm for many
The study,
which collected data from more than 14,300 people between the ages of 20 and 60
across the country, yielded a figure that set off alarm bells: 35.5% of
Japanese men in their 20s have never had sexual experience. In other words,
more than one in three young people in their twenties is still a virgin. In the
case of women in the same age range, the figure is slightly lower, standing at
31.9%.
Far from
being a trend exclusive to the youngest, the study showed that men outperform
women in the "zero experience" statistic in all age ranges, from 20
to 50 years old. In addition, the dating market is practically frozen: 51% of
singles in their 20s confessed not to have a partner currently. In fact, only
28.5% of single men claimed to be in a relationship, in contrast to 37.9% of
women.
Frequency,
satisfaction and the math that doesn't add up
For those
who do manage to be intimate, the national average of relationships is
only 1.95 times a month. Unsurprisingly, young people in their 20s
raise the average by 4.31 times a month, but the number plummets as the
population ages. Regarding the age of "debut", the national average
is 22.02 years (men start at 23.01 and women at 21.07 years).
Interestingly,
when asked about their lifetime dating history, the math showed the classic
discrepancy of self-reported surveys: men claimed to have been with an average
of 13.31 partners, while women reported only 6.38.
Despite all
this panorama of abstinence and loneliness, it seems that people have learned
to conform. 67.5% of those surveyed said they were happy with their intimate
life, with the group of twenty-somethings being the most satisfied of all
(almost 80% reported feeling good about their current situation).
With these
numbers on the table, do you think that the modern lifestyle, overwork, and
digital entertainment are definitely killing interest in real relationships in
Japan?
