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03/30/2008: "No Sex Please, We're Japanese"

Yanagisawa is not alone. According to a new report by the World Health Organisation, a quarter of married couples in Japan have not had sex in the past year. The problem worsens with age. While the study found that the 42 per cent of couples in their twenties who had lived together for fewer than five years had sex at least once a week, almost 38 per cent of married couples in their fifties have none.

People trapped in sexless marriages blame long working hours, a claim backed up by global surveys of sexual activity conducted by Durex. According to the condom maker, Japanese couples have sex 45 times a year, well below the global average of 103 times.

[ This is surprising since there is so much sexual permissiveness in Japan. Or perhaps that is a contributing factor. ]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/30/japan