Young Japanese Adults Shy Away From Sex: Celibacy Syndrome On the Loose
According to a recent survey, young Japanese are no longer interested in sex. The Japan Association for Sex Education's survey conducted a study on the habits of young people's sexuality. It identified dating practices among female college goers. It was found that 40 percent of senior college girls reaching womanhood are still virgin.
A statistical report from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research showed that 49 percent of Japanese women and 61 percent men are not in a relation. Five years ago, the number was about 10 percent less, which means that the number of people not having a relationship has risen considerably. Another individual study from Japan Crush discovered that 30 percent of unmarried men in Japan never dated a woman ever in their lives.
These findings showed an alarming trend among the Japanese youth. Japanese media labeled this as 'celibacy syndrome' (sekkusu shinai shokogun). The trend is alarming because the country already has a low rate of population. Last year, records claimed, the number of children born in Japan was 1,037,101, the lowest in the past 16 years.
The Guardian reported that Ai Aoyama, a Japanese counsellor, has taken the responsibility to cure the celibacy syndrome in the country. Millions of people in the country seem to have lost interest in having conventional relations. There is an increasing number of people who are not bothered about sex. The government finds 'celibacy syndrome' catastrophic. Aoyama believed that the government is also responsible for the crisis.
According to experts, economic uncertainty and less job security are the main resaons for the decline in having relationships. An earlier study in America showed similar results.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the U.S. fertility dropped to an all-time low in 2011. Many Americans believed that financial woes are the primary reasons couples postpone having children. About 65 percent of them thought they did not have enough finances to bear the cost of raising kids.
In Japan, conservative mentality regarding women may also be blamed for the lack of tendency to seek love among the youth.