Fewer Japanese youth experience early romantic milestones amid post-pandemic shift, survey shows, The Japan Association for Sex Education recently conducted a survey with a result that showed the percentage of high school students in the country who have had romantic and sexual experiences has drastically plummeted; only 20% of boys said that they had ever had their first kiss.
This is a record low since the survey first began in 1974. This six-yearly survey is a testament on how pandemic restrictions have brought about the change in this generation of youth, in their way of handling their intimate relationships and self-expression.
The study sampled 12,562 students from junior high school through university in 2023 and finds high school girls to also fit conservative trends, reporting that 27.5% had their first kiss. Intimate experiences are found to be decreasing across both genders although this decline has been greater for the boys than it was in previous studies.
This effect on youth’s behavior is significant, as lockdowns and social distancing policies have restricted physical contact at the most influential times of their life. Analysts think this has affected the way young Japanese love and have sex.
Yusuke Hayashi, a professor of sociology at Musashi University, added that such restrictions arose “at a sensitive time when [youths were] beginning to become interested in sexuality.”
The survey indicates a drop in sexual activity. The percentage of high school boys who had experienced sexual intercourse decreased to 12%, and that of high school girls to 14.8%, compared to the previous survey conducted in 2017, by 3.5 and 5.3 points, respectively.
Although the number of partners decreased, the rates of masturbation increased with students in all school grades, establishing new records, especially among junior high girls and in general, by high school students.
This data comes at a very crucial time for Japan, which faces the challenge of its declining birth rate and an increasingly aged population. Japan, already sporting the world’s oldest demographic profile, saw a milestone in 2023 when one in 10 citizens reached the age of 80 or older. Furthermore, an earlier study this year revealed that nearly half of married couples in Japan report a lack of sexual activity, adding to the country’s demographic concerns.
As such, many Japanese companies are adjusting their business models in response to these changing demands. Recently, diaper manufacturer Oji Holdings announced it would end production of baby diapers and concentrate on adult products as Japan’s aging population increasingly demands such goods.
The JASE survey, therefore, indicates that large-scale changes in the social behavior of youth may have far-reaching effects on the future family formation trends and overall demographic path of the country. Therefore, such trends represent the comprehensive social changes that are changing Japan as it seeks a way out of its demographic dilemmas.
