TOKYO (PNA/Kyodo) – Nearly half of married couples in Japan said they have not had sex in more than a month, meaning they are effectively in a sexless relationship, a private survey showed Friday.
Among 655 married men and women aged 16 to 49 surveyed, the ratio of respondents who said they were sexless rose to a record-high 47.2%, up 2.6 percentage points from the previous tally in 2014, the Japan Family Planning Association said.
The association released the results at a time when the country is struggling with a declining birth rate, a factor behind its shrinking population.
The percentage of sexless couples stood at 31.9% in 2004, when the survey was first conducted by the organization. In the latest survey, there was no substantial difference among genders, with 47.3% of married men and 47.1% of women saying they were sexless.
By age, people aged between 45 and 49 showed the highest portion of being sexless, according to the survey conducted from last October to November.
Asked why they were reluctant to have sex, 22.3% of women replied it was “troublesome” to do so, and 20.1% said they just did not do so after having children. Among men, 35.2% said they were “tired from work.”