Have Japanese People Become Asexual? Quantitative Analyses of Love in Japan

• In Event: 3181 - Section on Asia and Asian America Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 01. Dating, Marriage, and Family in Asia

Abstract

This paper examines transforming romantic relationships in contemporary Japanese society. It specifically investigates whether Japanese people in their twenties and thirties have become asexual—that is, whether they tend to have few sexual experiences or interests. Data were collected through an Internet survey; this paper uses a subsample of 9,940 respondents. The dependent variables were the number of lovers during and after junior high school; the independent variable was the respondents’ age. (1) Regression analyses revealed a clear trend toward asexual behavior among young males (in their twenties and thirties). (2) However, young females are not as asexual as the previous generation. This asexualization of males may have contributed to Japan’s sharply declining marriage and birth rates. If so, other Asian societies may learn lessons from Japan’s experiences in the future.

Author

• Jun Kobayashi, Seikei University