Classroom enhancement for the affected | Image: AFP
According to the South China Morning Post, an alarming number of men in Japan are middle-aged virgins with few prospects for future lovers and little confidence in their ability to turn their situations around. A 2010 survey by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research found a quarter of unmarried Japanese men in their 30s were still virgins, a fact that led to the coining of a specific term, ”yaramiso,” to describe such men. The figure was up approximately three percentage points from a similar survey taken in 1992.
A man interviewed for the linked article, Takashi Sakai, is a 41-year-old attractive, gainfully employed heterosexual who’s never had sex, one of a growing number of middle-aged Japanese men who are in similar circumstances. Sakai claims he has never had any sort of relationship with a woman and says he has no ideas for how he could change that.
“I’ve never had a girlfriend. It’s never happened. It’s not like I’m not interested. I admire women. But I just cannot get on the right track."
Learn more about Japan's middle aged, male virgin population at this article, including the economic situation that is thought to be related to the issue, a video about certain (mildly NSFW) training some men are gettting in an effort to combat the problem and more.