Hiroish comments

There's another reason that these Japan Today guys don't know about: The "I love you" equivalent in Japanese, "Ai Shiteru", is an imported expression that has yet settled and beaten "like=suki", which is far more traditional and natural in the J usage.The strongest romantic feeling was expressed as "shitau". "Ai" meant "cherish" or "appreciate" in Japanese. Don't know who translated it using the word "Ai". "Love" is stronger than "like" in terms of feeling intensity? Well, "like" has done that bit as well. Why should Japanese men accept that Anglo-centred view?

I'll tell you part of the reason. The problem is that the word has been in the language for a long time without having settled much but long enough to force Japanese people to define their feeling in terms of this expression.

Anyway, until the world "ai" becomes as natural as "suki", it won't be on Japanese men's lips - not as much as you guys might think it should.