Japanese people are the least satisfied with their sex and romantic lives, closely followed by South Koreans, a global survey by a French research firm showed.
The two Asian rivals are grappling with a similar demographic crisis with their chronically — and dangerously, as authorities warn — low birthrates.
The poll of 31 countries, conducted by Paris-headquartered Ipsos, showed this week that just 37 percent of Japanese respondents derive satisfaction from sex and romance, versus the 76 percent of top-ranked Indians and Mexicans.
Photo: Bloomberg
Similarly displeased are South Koreans, whose sexual satisfaction was the second worst at 45 percent.
In June, Japan’s health ministry described the nation’s birthrate as “critical” as it stood at 1.20 last year, hitting a record low for the eighth straight year.
However, Japan’s rate is still above that of South Korea, which has the world’s lowest at 0.72.
The poll also showed that South Koreans feel the least contentment from their “relationships with partners and spouses,” with Japanese faring the second worst.
Asked how much they “feel loved” in life, 51 percent of Japanese said so, again the worst of all, slightly outranked by South Koreans and Italians at 63 percent.
The discontentment is partly the result of “the personality of Japanese people who aren’t good at articulating their emotions and attitudes when it comes to romance,” Ipsos said.
Among efforts to boost Japan’s plunging birthrates is a dating app launched earlier this year by authorities in the capital Tokyo. Users are required to submit documentation proving they are legally single and sign a letter stating they are willing to get married.
PRECARIOUS RELATIONS: Commentators in Saudi Arabia accuse the UAE of growing too bold, backing forces at odds with Saudi interests in various conflicts A Saudi Arabian media campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened the Gulf’s worst row in years, stoking fears of a damaging fall-out in the financial heart of the Middle East. Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists. The United Arab Emirates is “investing in chaos and supporting secessionists” from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week. Such invective has been unheard of
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. Relations between the US and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order. During a visit to Beijing earlier this month, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary, but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) purge of his most senior general is driven by his effort to both secure “total control” of his military and root out corruption, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said told Bloomberg Television yesterday. The probe into Zhang Youxia (張又俠), Xi’s second-in-command, announced over the weekend, is a “major development,” Perdue said, citing the family connections the vice chair of China’s apex military commission has with Xi. Chinese authorities said Zhang was being investigated for suspected serious discipline and law violations, without disclosing further details. “I take him at his word that there’s a corruption effort under
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS