Why nearly half of Japanese youth refuse to taste the 'forbidden fruit'

The phenomenon of nearly 50% of Japanese youth remaining virgins stems from many causes, typically due to reduced income or a mentality of preferring to live in a fantasy world rather than reality.

Nude drawing class in Tokyo helps male students see realistic female bodies. Photo: CNN

According to a survey released last week by Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, 42% of men and 44.2% of women aged 18-34 in the country have never had sex.

A portion of the survey respondents said they would like to remain virgins. Meanwhile, the majority of respondents (85.7% of men and 89.3% of women) still wish to get married in the future.

According to CNN, there are many reasons to explain the lack of interest in sex among Japanese youth, including the fact that the stagnant economy makes many young people not want to fall in love and get married, or that many young people are too fond of manga comics and prefer to live in a virtual and imaginary world rather than reality.

Social norms change

Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and is also an aging population, with about 34.6 million people over 65 years old.

Despite government efforts to raise the number of people getting married and children being born, this year's survey from Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research shows little change.

Changing socio-economic norms have contributed to the decline of relationships between men and women, according to Nancy Snow, professor of public diplomacy at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in Japan.

"Men now earn only one-third to one-half the income they did during Japan's economic boom years in the 1980s. Some men's sense of self-worth is tied to their income, so they feel outclassed by women who are confident in their abilities," Snow explains.

She believes that the decline in income makes men feel less confident and therefore do not dare to date the increasingly successful women in Japanese society. Besides, these women earn their own money and therefore value themselves more than others.

This is why a series of support groups for men who want to overcome their anxiety when approaching women are springing up rapidly in Japan.

White Hands, a non-profit organization in Tokyo, regularly holds nude painting classes. The students are mostly middle-aged virgin men. They draw nude female models. It allows them to see the female body in real life. These classes are said to help men soothe their sexual instincts.

Shingo Sakatsume, the organizer of the class, calls himself a "sexual facilitator." Sakatsume believes that the growing interest in the world of Japanese anime is also partly to blame for single men choosing fantasy entertainment over real sex and love.

“By solving the virginity issue, I think we can solve many other problems related to sex,” Sakatsume said.

Meanwhile, Professor Snow suggests that nude drawing classes might be even more beneficial if female students were involved in drawing nude male models.

"This is an opportunity to bring men and women together. They can drink to break the ice and talk more. Just helping men see naked female models will not solve the problem."

According to Snow, although Japan's population is aging at a rapid rate, the latest survey only looked at young people as a data selection criterion without considering specific stories or circumstances.

“If you live to be 90, it probably makes sense to delay having a partner until your 30s or until you know what you want,” Snow says.

White Hands, a Tokyo-based nonprofit, offers courses and curriculum to help men break free from their virginity. Photo: CNN

According to VNE