I came across this interesting article online about Japanese men resorting to porn, masturbation, and sex toys, and how it is causing sexual dysfunction among couples. With the birth rate declining in Japan, this has become cause for alarm.

http://www.atimes.com/ati...8Dh01.html

"When freaky-deaky equals hara-kiri
By William Sparrow

BANGKOK - The Japanese population is believed to have peaked at about 127.5 million in 2005. Since then the figure has declined, with some estimates suggesting the population could shrink to 105 million by 2050. The drop is feared to have negative impacts on the nation's labor force and grave social and economic consequences. Recent reports seem to indicate that the sexual proclivities of Japanese men are contributing adversely to the situation.

More and more men, reports maintain, are turning to masturbation and sex toys rather than to their female counterparts. And further exacerbating an already declining birthrate of 1.29 children per women found in a 2004 survey by The Daily Yomiuri, is the fact that some men are increasingly turning their backs on sex.

"Sex is just way too much trouble," a 35-year-old Japanese man told Shukan Asahi this week, adding that ever since he used masturbation as a teenager, he's never desired a woman again. "As long as I have a sex toy available, I don't need women. I can't come when I have sex, and you've got to put a lot of emotion into dealing with women. Self-pleasure is a hell of a lot less demanding than trying to please somebody else."

Pornography, masturbation aids, Internet porn sites and social networks that lead to "virtual relationships", soaplands and Japan's widespread prostitution industry all allow men outlets for sexual fulfillment while not fulfilling other needs, such as procreation. The alarming trend has led medical experts in Japan to coin a new term for a condition they call "vaginal ejaculation dysfunctional disorder".

"There has been a definite increase in the number of men showing signs of vaginal ejaculation dysfunction disorder, which includes such afflictions as premature and delayed ejaculation. There are physical reasons believed to be behind this, including prejudice against women, past trauma and overuse of masturbatory aids so that a vagina is unable to provide sufficient stimulation," Dr Tsuneo Akaeda, head of the Akaeda Clinic in Tokyo's Roppongi entertainment district, told Shukan Asahi.

"Some of the masturbation aids coming out nowadays are absolutely incredible. Guys become used to using these and there is no doubt that many men are unable to obtain the necessary satisfaction from a female vagina that they need to ejaculate."

Meanwhile, Japan is quickly becoming the world's oldest population. By 2025, 27.3%, or 33.2 million people, will be aged over 60, a study titled "The Illusion of Immigration Control" found.

Low birth rate coupled with the aforementioned sexual dysfunctions make the problems that Japan faces immediate and daunting.

"With Japan's labor force expected to decrease by 10% in the next 25 years, the economic outlook is far from bright. In all likelihood, the domestic market will shrink, production will fall, the government's revenue base will contract inexorably and it will struggle to meet welfare and medical payments for an increasing number of elderly as the dependency ratio (the number of workers supporting the elderly) will shift dramatically. In 1950, one elderly person was supported by 12 members of the working population, by 1990 it was 5.5 workers, and by 2020 it is estimated to be 2.3 workers. Naturally, the government is concerned about such a scenario," Julian Chapple wrote in a 2005 study titled "The Dilemma Posed by Japan's Population Decline".

The government has put forward a number of proposals to reverse the trend. These have included the "Plus 1" (indicating the increase the government hopes to see to the birthrate), softening of immigration laws, child care initiatives, subsidies to parents for medical care and child care and working with Japanese employers to allow more "flex" time for parents. While the government has given the situation the appropriate attention, so far most of the initiatives have made little change and failed to stem the decline.

Japan, like many societies, can at times struggle with open communication and education about sex. So, perhaps the answer is being overlooked: encourage more sex between partners and husbands and wives through better communication and education."

And here I always thought that masturbation made you desire a woman even more lol...

I wonder if intimacy is emphasized and promoted within Japanese culture...self-pleasure can't duplicate that. Then again, intimacy isn't really emphasized in our country, either lol...

Interesting. It seems that the photobooks and DVDs are a massive thing in Japan and they must be everywhere you go since it's such a mainstream part of the culture. So an average guy might be lusting over a beautiful young pre-teen or teen, plus using sex toys like crazy, and with the cultural element we discussed in another thread about women getting to a certain age and being seen as 'past it', I guess a moderately attractive 30 year old woman just doesn't cut it anymore.

foxyflawedhands said:

Except its not interesting.

sex is overrated anyways...

I think the pressure of a good job, drinking, and smoking is killing the Japanese population.

This WOULD explain the high rate of blindness and hairy palms in Japan, tho ...

I wonder what their general stance on sex is, anyways. They seem to be very open about it in some ways, and then again very conservative in other ways.

So they beat off so much, a vagina can't even do anything for them. I didn't think that was possible really. It's one of those questions they talk about in health class, and the teacher said masturbation shouldn't have an effect on actual sexual performance.

Byron said:

I have found Japanese culture does not emphasize open expression of intamacy or emotion at all. It's only been in recent years that couples actually hold hands in public. Other than that there is no such PDA like hugging or even kissing on the street.

Interestingly enough it is highly uncommon to even utter the words "I Love You". It is expected that one implies and demonstrates their love via actions and deeds, and the other person (if they are the correct fit) just inately understands. Essentially, emotions are so reserved, so compressed, so SUPRESSED, that the whole love-emotion-intamcy issue in Japanese culture always reminds me of a pressure cooker with the potential to explode, but eventually, once the pressure brings you to your highest boiling point, suddenly it is released slowly and steadily over time, until eventually everything cools down inside.

Also, everyone's so career oriented, the average work day in Tokyo is 11 hours, with the added obligation of attending company social activities. By the time they actually get space to breathe for themselves, who has time or energy to devote to intamacy, especially in the traditional Japanese way where everything is implied and understood, yet never spoken? It's easier to go blow some money on pachinko (a game similar to American slot machines), or drop 600 bucks at a host/hostess club where a person is guaranteed to sit there for you, make kind compliments, pour your tea or sake and laugh at your silly jokes for a few hours...or, dive into porn. Yup, there's definitely a disconnect where intamacy concerned. But luckily, not allll young Japanese people are that disconccted to their feelings

Ottensen said:

Emotionally reserved combined with their habits, and workaholicness and they'll kill themselves off.