Celibacy Syndrome

The Celibacy Syndrome (Japanese: セックスしない症候群 or sekkusu shinai shōkōgun) is a purported syndrome that causes a young person to avoid or delay sexual activity[1].

In Japan, some adults lose interest in conventional relationships, including love, dating, courting, marriage and sexual activity[2].

Japanese men may have less money to spend as a result of twenty years of economic stagnation, and may feel pressure to fulfill the ideal of being a hardworking family father. Japanese career women, on the other hand, may be given significant flexibility, inevitably leading to resignation of women once they have children. Other causes may be inlcude the fact that there are simply more men than women in Japan, creating a problem for men to find a suitable candidate to marry.

Both sexes may conclude that relationships are far too complicated and may therefore exchange mutual long-term goals for short-term virtual gratification, such as pornography, anime, or non-sexual games. Apart from this choice, some people also develop psychological barriers[3].

[1] Nagamatsu et al: Factors associated with gender differences in parent-adolescent relationships that delay first intercourse in Japan in Journal of School Health – 2008
[2] Celibacy syndrome hits Japan with more young people avoiding sex (News.com.au) – 21oct13 
[3] Why have young people in Japan stopped having sex? (The Guardian) – 20oct13