More than 40 percent of young Japanese single adults are virgins, a government survey has shown, and almost three-quarters of men are not in any kind of relationship.
The poll reveals the extent of sexlessness in a country where policymakers worry about low birthrates and the knock-on effect of an ageing society.
The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research quizzed more than 5,000 singletons aged 18 to 34 about their lives between the sheets.
It found that 42 percent of men and 44 percent of women had never had sex.
Directly comparable international statistics are difficult to come by, but Japanese people across the board appear to have less sex than those in other developed countries.
In a 2010 survey by the same government body, 68 percent of Japanese 18-19 year olds said they were virgins; a study carried out that year in Europe by condom maker Durex found virginity rates among those aged 15-20 were much lower.
For example, fewer than 20 percent of young Germans had not had sex by the time they hit 20, while even in socially conservative Turkey, the figure was only 37 percent.
Japan’s apparently low libido sits at odds with the impression many visitors have about the country’s attitude to sex.
Culled: Punch/AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment