People walk in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward in this Jan. 29, 2023, file photo. (Mainichi/Hiroshi Maruyama)
TOKYO -- Some 60% of people in Japan's Generation Z say that they would not mind never being married, according to a survey on attitudes to marriage conducted by a tech firm.
Biglobe Inc. conducted the online survey from Sept. 12 to 14, and responses were received from 1,000 people aged 18 to 69 nationwide. The results were tallied for each of the following age groups: from 18 to 24 (Generation Z), from 25 to 29, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
To the question, "Do you want to get married (or are you married)?" 52.6% of respondents in Gen Z, 60.4% of those aged 25 to 29, 58.0% of those in their 30s, 59.0% in their 40s, 67.0% in their 50s, and 72.0% in their 60s answered "yes."
On the other hand, 60.6% of Generation Z respondents said they "would not mind" never tying the knot. The percentage was highest at 62.0% among those aged between 25 and 29, and lowest at 39.0% among those in their 60s.
When asked if they want to get married (or if they want to use different surnames) if a selective surname system for married couples is adopted in Japan, 41.6% of respondents aged between 25 and 29 said "yes," followed by 39.7% of those in Generation Z. The ratios were significantly lower among older respondents, with 24.0% of those in their 30s, 26.0% in their 40s, 20.0% in their 50s, and 18.0% in their 60s saying "yes."
mfyxtplyx on December 11st, 2023 at 06:41 UTC »
My experience as a westerner living in Japan was that many (most?) people saw marriage as an entirely business-like affair undertaken for the purpose of having children, after which separation or simply infidelity is common. If you don't want to have kids, why would you bother with that?
MajesticQ on December 11st, 2023 at 04:36 UTC »
Who would want to live with the older generation in heavy debt. Japan inheritance law is broken and it causes the younger generation to forsake the older ones. Now, it's becoming an example to the younger generation that no matter what you do, you'll end up alone.
Overall_Nuggie_876 on December 11st, 2023 at 04:02 UTC »
100% of Japan Baby Boomers angry at Gen Z for refusing to marry and have kids.