>>I worked with an Japanese-American woman for years.
She told me about what this article FAILS to mention, that is, in the Japanese culture it is 100% acceptable for husbands to beat wives. Wives are conditioned to and expected to TAKE IT without complaint or any form of retaliation.
Not true. Women are seen as subservient in many ways (in the office place and the home) and this is common in Asian society, but in my years living there and extensive knowledge of the culture this simply is untrue (and the fact that people in Japan are routinely arrested for it).
The lack of children exists mainly in the city. In the country they’re having children like crazy and homes with 4-7 kids aren’t rare.
Japanese pedophilia is disgusting, and the government is JUST NOW beginning to arrest people for creating drawn depictions of it.
Concur that there is a level of “subservience” still in the culture; however, since the 80’s that has changed rapidly.
My wife is Japanese - and therefore so are both of my sister-in-laws. A lot of what people are saying on this thread is so hyperbolic as to be satirical. The whole - take it beating thing is no more prevalent then in the US... actually likely less so due to the potential loss of “face”.
Are there wife beaters in Japan? Yes - there are in the US also and both get prosecuted.
Are there married cheaters in Japan - Yes and the wifes there ignore it a bit more then in the US, but that has changed with changes in the divorce laws over the years. Divorce is still seen as a potential face loser though in many cases - again losing face is changing over time as well. They’ve lost some cultural inhibitions just like we have.
The lack of children is occurring in all 1st world “more affluent” countries not just Japan. It comes from a desire to provide as much as possible and to give as much opportunity as possible to educate and prepare their kids for the future - which means limiting the number of kids....that and people being spoiled to the point they don’t want to take care of kids. It’s misguided but present in most advanced economies. (I come from a family of 5 and wished my wife could have had more than what we did, but...life suprises you sometimes in different ways then expected).
You noted that children are more prevalent in the country - I’d argue that this is true in the US also, with exception of the ghettos where they don’t really take care of them anyway, but pawn them off on whoever will look after them.
I worry about my Japanese niece/nephews.... I also worry about my US niece/nephews. Mostly though I keep the two shotguns clean for my two daughters. ;)