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Couples who divorced after decades of married life are at their highest rate since 1947, when statistics were first available, according to Japan health ministry data released on Aug 24. Why do you think this is?

23 Comments

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23 Comments
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society is changing as are people's priorities

4 ( +10 / -6 )

Women have become more financially independent. The stigma of divorce largely diminished. Japanese people had enough of the gaman culture.

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Wasn’t the law changed fairly recently meaning the wife (or the non working spouse) is entitled to more upon divorce? The non working spouse is no longer trapped financially in a relationship they might want to leave. It takes a while for people to realise this, especially older generations.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Use by date

-6 ( +8 / -14 )

Couples were forced to actually spend time together during the covid crisis.

4 ( +13 / -9 )

The way of thinking that the relationship between wife and husband is changing as people's priority are getting diverse. It's not surprising.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Lots of loveless marriages in Japan, staying together for the children or financial reasons.

On retirement the husband usually gets a lump sum payment which the wife can get half of in a divorce.

Right on cue its time to break free as having the husband home 24/7 instead of in the office is not bearable.

4 ( +19 / -15 )

Simple, really. Most husbands in the traditional Japanese mold spend all their productive lives at work, leaving the wife to fend off boredom/raise kids/keep house mostly on her own.

After 30 years of having a Ghost Husband, one who is only truly home for brief spells of sleep and food, suddenly the Ghost is Home Forever, moping around the house, complaining about this and that, ruining the old daily routines, unaccustomed to being "retired" and discovering, like the wife, that an aged, unsympathetic stranger is set to share both residence and life until the very End?

After 30 years of living apart, both sides might conceivably find that the person they thought they married long ago now bears little resemblance to the aged stranger they presently find invading all aspects of their once independent lives?

2 ( +14 / -12 )

Lots of loveless marriages in Japan, staying together for the children or financial reasons.

Itsnot just love money or children that makes people decide to stay together. Romantic love i suppose fades after some 5-7 years, after that its more about partnership/friendship/mutual trust, understanding, acceptance, emotional closeness, share of values. But even with all of that its still not set in stone. Because you need sth more important.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Some 15 years ago or so a law was changed so that wives would share in employee pension money despite divorce. Cultural acceptance is probably catching up -i.e.- not only is it more feasible financially now, it is also more acceptable to have a silver divorce.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Maybe a change of culture? marriages may be in the same situation than 20 or 50 years ago, but back then this was regarded as normal, inevitable part of life. Now wives are likely expecting to have bigger expectations for their life at this point, as well as less fear to what being a divorcee mean.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Younger women more amenable to hooking up with an oyaji.

-4 ( +7 / -11 )

Lots of loveless marriages in Japan, staying together for the children or financial reasons.

On retirement the husband usually gets a lump sum payment which the wife can get half of in a divorce.

I could not write it better.ALL 100% accurate.

-3 ( +8 / -11 )

You can see all the old salarymen drinking their evening (and health) away every night instead of wanting to return to broken homes.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

Back in the day, the boy and the girl wanted to show mom and dad ( and society ) that they had succeeded in life, they were stable and with a family. ( Social pressure, cultural and financial reasons, innocence, ignorance (many did not realize that attraction and love are two different things) ) ;

( After marriage, many Japanese men become boring and difficult: a loveless, boring, complicated marriage; / As some of you already mentioned, there’s hundreds of thousands of loveless marriages in Japan. )

Things changed, though; Inevitably, Japanese society changed and it keeps changing; Japanese women have more power to decide what to do with their lives; they’re not afraid to be called a divorcée, there’s more independence (financially and psychologically speaking). plus the law says they’re entitled to half of their ex-husbands pensions.

With the pandemic and being forced to be together 24/7, these couples confirmed what they already knew for years.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

The pandemic forced people all over the world to look at the decisions they had made in life, and what they had resulted in. This resulted in a lot of divorce world-wide by people who realized - oh, this isn't what is important to me.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This isn't unique to Japan. I think as people get older, they realize the time they have left is limited and who they spend that time with is one of the biggest factors in how happy they will be. My parents got divorced after about 25 years of marriage. Since then, they have both met new partners who are a much better fit in terms of personality and lifestyle. I can't imagine they would be as happy if they were still together.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Yeh because for the most part Japanese husbands are spoilt children who treat their wives like 2nd class citizens. When they retire they are stuck at home ordering around their wives 24/7. No wonder the wives get fed up! It's a cultural thing that has hopefully passed it's used by date which going by the amount of divorces adds up!.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Japanese guys need to do more washing up!

It works for me

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I think it's because there is no love at all.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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