The birth rate in Japan has been falling sharply for several years. According to a new study released Nov. 3, the gender divide is widening in high school.
Usually the first emotions are experienced in high school. And yet, according to the JASE Association’s latest survey of young Japanese sex education, only one in five boys in their senior year of high school have already kissed someone. A historically low rate and a significant drop since 2017, reflecting the social divide between the sexes since the Covid-19 pandemic. Between August 2023 and March 2024, the survey was conducted among a sample of 12,562 people, including 4,621 middle school students, 4,321 high school students, and 3,614 university students. In this continuum, the group reports that only 12% of middle and high school students have ever had sex.
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Solo practice
According to the association behind the study, which is conducted every six years in Tokyo, this phenomenon is partly due to the loss of social interactions due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Limited contact with others during this period certainly reduced the level of sexual activity among young people,” the survey said. Conversely, we can see a dramatic increase in solitary practices, including masturbation, and an explosion of pornographic content online during this period.
This psychological disconnect amid intimacy raises concerns about Japan’s already low birthrate. Indeed, the number of births in the country at the beginning of 2024 is the lowest since 1969, according to Japanese government data released last September. Having 350,074 births in the months of January-June, the Ministry of Health registered a 5.7% decrease compared to the previous year, which is already a decrease.
Note that, faced with this observation, Tokyo launched a dating app last June to restore social interactions and stem the decline in birth rates. To register on the platform, users must prove their singleness (tax declaration, annual income) and sign a contract confirming that they intend to marry. “A little help,” excused the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which doesn’t seem to be doing too well at the moment.
Source: Le Figaro
