Population Equation

Warning: this entry is highly irreverant and even [gasp!] slightly risque- you have been warned!

So Japan is facing a huge drop in population. Japan has one of the lowest [the lowest?] birth rates in the world. This is a huge source of worry, and prompts various panels, government studies, etc. After all, Japan is so incredibly unique and pure- and if their population isn't pure as well, why, Japan would cease to be Japan! The most oft-heard panel recommendations include money for each child, hopefully inducing parents into popping out a few more rugrats. A few of the more conservative talking heads blame women for being so selfish, taking men's jobs instead of staying at home, rearing the next generation of Nihonjin.

Why aren't more people having kids? Read on: This wonderful woman I met has five kids. She does all the housework, makes dinner and breakfast for everyone, makes the bentos, runs the kids all over town, and does her best to stay awake at her weekly English lesson [not surpringly, she usually nods off]. Her husband works a bit less than the 7-10 norm, but he doesn't do a damn thing to help out. A lot of women are choosing not to marry, rather than be a slave in the house to a husband she'll rarely see. Although, to be fair, many women would like to have more kids, they just can't afford to. Japan is a ridiculously expensive country to raise a family in.

So, being a woman, the population issue has been hard for me to sympathize with, as I tend to equate it with women doing too much cleaning up after a husband or kids. And coming from a melting pot tends to make me laugh at the necessity for a "pure population." Also, being a history buff, I can tell you that Japan's population levelled off at about 70 million for most of the last few centuries. But in their rush to be a world power, they equated a large population with a powerful country. And now, Japan has to import nearly everything, which is partly why everything is ridiculously expensive.

But I have recently come across a better reason for the dropping population! For the [lack of] naughtiness, read on!

TOKYO — Japanese have the least active sex life in the world, performing an average 45 times a year, while Greeks are the most energetic with 138 romps a year, according to an annual survey by major condom maker Durex.

The global average was 103 times, said Durex which conducts the survey each year in 41 countries and territories. The survey was conducted on the Internet, drawing responses from 310,000 men and women.

Croatia came a close second to Greece with 134 sessions per year. Last year's first place, France, fell to sixth place with an average of 120. Britons were more fired up than the Americans, having sex 118 times a year compared with 113 for the United States. The Netherlands' 115 love-making sessions a year tied with Poland, while Australians had sex an average 108 times.

Asia fared badly in the survey. Not only did Japan come in last for the second consecutive year, but nine Asian countries and territories made up the bottom 10. Japan, at 45, was way behind second-to-last Singapore on 73. The Swedes were the only non-Asians in the bottom 10, with 92 love-making sessions a year. [end of report]

Now, this just has to be based on couples, um.. coupling. Japan has a crazy big sex industry- there is porn on regular tv on Saturday nights! Love hotels and love vans thrive! "Soap houses" employee nubile young women for... various purposes. Honestly, I'm not sure if prostitution is legal, but plenty of peripheral industries that abound might fit the bill. But since these industries are serving individuals, I don't think they were factored into the study.

To read the uber-entertaining responses of young Japanese persons, click here:

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=popvox&id=615

My fave is Kawachan- he's right! It's really the screwed-up [teehee!] gaijin that are the issue.