Half of Japanese adults reach their mid-20s with no sexual experience, and researchers can't explain why
Japanese people still aren't having sex. And nobody knows why
A review of 43 surveys from 1974 to 2024 in The Journal of Sex Research finds that around half of Japanese people reach their mid-20s without sexual experience, and roughly 10 percent reach their 30s as virgins. About half of adults aged 20–49 report no sex in the past year. Researchers point to demanding work hours, limited sex education, low hormonal contraception use, and the rise of fictosexuality, but admit the cause remains unclear.
While sexual frequency is also falling in the UK and US, Japan's pattern feels more pronounced – perhaps an early signal of a global shift where technology, work culture, and modern expectations are quietly redefining how we connect, form relationships and experience intimacy.