Japanese people still aren't having sex. And nobody knows why

Young adults in Japan are increasingly sexually inactive, with approximately half reaching their mid-twenties without sexual experience and about 10 percent remaining virginal into their 30s, according to a review of 43 surveys spanning 1974-2024. Rates of sexual inexperience have risen significantly since 2002, with current data showing up to 60 percent of men and 51 percent of women in their early 20s having no sexual experience. While researchers identified possible explanations including lack of desire, unwillingness to invest time in dating, and Japan's rigid heteronormative society, the underlying causes remain unclear.