The plummeting birth rate in Japan, causing fears of future tax
revenue and labor shortages, has the country scrambling to determine
the cause. A survey revealed that it had a lot to do with sex:
almost 40% of Japanese adults between the ages of 18-49 are getting it
on less than once a month, according to a survey that was performed in
the country. Married adults had a slightly higher rate at just
under 35% who hadn't had sex in more than a month.
So what's
going on? Officials blame high stress levels, a decline in
physical communication skills (what?), and (you knew this was coming)
an increasingly Web-based society as factors leading to the
decline. In addition, a University of Chicago study recently
ranked Japan dead last out of 29 countries in sexual satisfaction, with
only 25% of people responding reporting that they're satisfied in bed. (I am so not moving to Japan.)
While it's true that elsewhere birth rates are skyrocketing,
even creating food shortages, it sounds as if this is a major concern
for Japan, but it sounds as well as if this is becoming an inherent
cultural matter and not one easily fixed by governmental proclamation
("You will have sex every week, no, twice a week! And you will
like it!"). It'll be interesting to see whether other "Web-based"
societies follow suit with a similar malaise.
