I bet many have wondered what married life is like in Japan. It’s even hard to imagine since we are talking about a country where marriage is becoming a question mark in the lives of Japanese citizens in general, and the number of married people tends to decrease. In this article, we will specifically talk about betrayal, infidelity, and divorce in Japanese marriage.
They say there is a lot of cheating within Japanese marriage due to the fact that the Japanese man commits to working hard, doing shifts of more than 10 hours a day, and being out of the house practically all day while the woman, being a housewife, ends up having an affair with another man while her husband is away. The opposite also happens with the man being out of the house while the woman raises the children.
The truth is that, yes, the tendency for extramarital affairs in a marriage between Japanese people is high. Most Japanese marry out of obligation, thanks to the social pressure imposed by family and society to have a family.
Women are the most pressured to do this because, for Japanese men, after the age of 25, if a woman is still unmarried, they see her as an eternal party girl or a woman who doesn’t get along with any man. Women, on the other hand, end up having to choose between work and children, and many end up leaving their jobs to raise the children.
Extramarital affairs usually happen for emotional reasons. When discovered, in addition to resulting in divorce, the partner who cheated on their spouse ends up losing their job and their social reputation falls, causing the person to have a bad reputation.
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What do Japanese people think about betrayal?
Believe it or not, there are Japanese people who justify extramarital affairs, especially when the partner in question cheats on their spouse with a prostitute. In this case, many believe that the betrayal is justifiable because it is a matter of “utilizing a professional service” and being a relationship between client and merchant and nothing more.
However, when there is a case between the partner and a person who is not involved in prostitution, due to being emotional, the Japanese find that unacceptable. If there is any sense in this, it probably must be for them, because betrayal is betrayal regardless of the reason.
But not everyone thinks that way as there are still traditionalists who refuse to accept any kind of excuse for committing adultery and believe that marriage is a serious commitment that must be fulfilled with seriousness and loyalty.
Research conducted in Japan shows that about 27% of men and 13% of women have cheated. We should not trust these rankings, which are quite imprecise. Probably the research reached a specific audience that leads a lifestyle that causes this result. In Brazil, research reveals that 70% of men and 54% of women have cheated on their partners.
What are the reasons for infidelity?
One reason is that some Japanese men dedicate themselves a lot to work. Spending little time at home and neglecting their wives. The woman, feeling lonely, ends up having an affair with another man.
The opposite is also true in that one of the reasons men end up working overtime is to “not come home early” and avoid contact with their own wives. In these situations, the man may also get involved with another woman and cheat on his wife.
The fact that many marry out of obligation and societal pressure results in a very unhappy and loveless marriage. So, one of the partners, or even both, end up having extramarital affairs, often with their partner being aware of it. Arranged marriages still happen today among wealthy families in Japan.
So, is betrayal and divorce common in Japan?
Obviously not, because that would be a grotesque generalization. It’s just something that happens both in Japan and around the world, including for the same reasons mentioned earlier. The divorce rate in Japan is 1.73% (2016) while Brazil is 2.41% (2014) per thousand inhabitants.
This means that most couples manage to maintain a marriage after a betrayal. Some, just for the sake of keeping up appearances. Other men lose custody of their children and never see them again; to avoid this, they maintain the marriage. Forgiveness is another great option in a culture of seemingly innocent and good people.
Fortunately, the number of divorces in Japan has been decreasing each year. What do you think about this subject? We appreciate comments and shares. We recommend continuing to read:
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