Japafans, have you ever imagined marrying someone without affection and love? Well, social media has recently been abuzz with the trend of ‘friendship marriage’ in Japan. In fact, Japan is facing a crisis in marriage and birth rates.
By 2023, marriages in Japan will decline by 6 per cent compared to previous years. This condition is also concerning and makes Japan almost devoid of the next generation. This makes young people in Japan choose to do ‘friendship marriage’. Let’s find out more about this new trend.
What is a ‘Friendship Wedding’?
If most marriages are based on affection and love, then this trend is different. ‘Friendship marriage’ invites couples in Japan to marry without love.
Instead of prioritising romance, this relationship emphasises friendship over love and sexual relations. Reporting from Times Now, this relationship is referred to as platonic love, in which there is no love and sexual activity carried out during marriage.
However, this trend helps almost 80 per cent of couples in this relationship live together happily.
How does it work?
This ‘friendship marriage’ trend has actually been around since 2015. Over time, this relationship has become a new marriage trend for young couples in Japan.
According to the South China Morning Post, a wedding agency specialising in ‘friendship marriage’ called Colorus, said there are at least 500 couples who have married platonic couples in Japan.
Uniquely, couples who undergo platonic love live in a harmonious household relationship until they have children. Despite not having intercourse like a married couple, platonic couples decide to have children together through artificial insemination.
Reporting from Next Shark, couples who undergo this ‘friendship marriage’ have the concept of being free to live together or separately. They are also allowed to have romantic relationships with other people as long as there is a mutual agreement.
Most people who are interested in this marriage trend are in their 30s and have above-average income in Japan. A person interested in friendship marriage must find someone with similar interests and life principles to live with.
Why the ‘Friendship Marriage’ trend is popular in Japan
In addition to the declining number of marriages in Japan, this trend is also enjoyed by many who are not interested in romantic relationships and traditional marriage. Moreover, there is high pressure from loved ones and society to get married.
About 75 per cent of people in Japan in their 30s still see marriage as a life goal. Unfortunately, as many as 47.2 per cent of married couples reported that they have not had intercourse or sexual activity in the past month. Surprisingly, this number continues to increase.
Therefore, ‘friendship marriage’ is considered an alternative to traditional marriage. It is also used to create a social image that is considered mature and stable.
Although it is not uncommon for these relationships to end in divorce. However, these platonic couples enjoy a number of benefits, including the ability to avoid taxes that are levied on single people in Japan.
