Japanese Sex Essentials

Original Post

The average age of virginity loss is going down in Japan.

Currently in Japan, the average age at which people lose their virginity is gradually going down, and the teenage abortion rate and rate of STDs among teenagers is rising. There was even an article once about a sixth grader who had sex with a boy in her class and found out about her pregnancy during a health examination. Since elementary school children are basically clueless when it comes to contraceptives, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more stories like this out there. And I'm sure only more will spring up. It seems that a large percentage of Japan's teenagers think that STDs and pregnancy has "nothing to do with us."



Contraceptive education is weakening.

An 18-year old girl from Yokohama had sex with a boy from her class when she was 16, and then gave birth to her child when she was 17. It seems that they normally used condoms, but one time they couldn't find one, so they had bare sex, and she got pregnant. A friend of hers also said "I didn't use a condom for a year and never got pregnant," but soon after, she got pregnant as well.

Early pregnancy affects not only the mother, but the people around her. In 1984, the percentage of 12th graders who had had sex was 22%, but in 2002 it was 37%. And it looks like the abortion rate is rising along with that.

Information about sex is everywhere.

Information about sex can be found anywhere -- in manga, movies, and on the internet. (Including this blog.) It is a proven fact that if children take in incorrect information regarding sex, that the rate of early sex will rise.

You may find this odd coming from me, but "sex" is not the only essential part of a healthy sex life. The relationship I have with my partner excites me much more than sex itself. Not only the act of sex, but a strong relationship, and proper sex education are also essential to a healthy sex life.