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Answerman - Do Arranged Marriages Still Happen In Japan?


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catbot158



Joined: 04 Mar 2017
Posts: 232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:16 pm Reply with quote
Ahh, the arranged marriage plot. Always good for wringing up drama. (And rom-com/shoujo shenanigans) Still sad that it happens to minors/people who really don't want it, though.

The population decline in Japan is a fascinating subject to me. There are a lot of factors and causes at play here. A lot of it has to do with the overworking problem Japan has, but immigration limitations and lack of support for both financially strapped youth and the LGBT+ community are a part of it.
How far down will Japan's population go before it becomes an emergency? Possibly sooner rather than later. But I still have hope Japan will figure out a feasible way to solve it.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4669
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:20 pm Reply with quote
I figured the Questioner must have watched the same episode of Aggretsuko I just did. Her mother does have a point that the concept of someone else finding potential matches and presenting a brief overview isn't too far off from online date, though the almost immediate, "do you want to marry them?" would be plenty to make someone say no almost as a reflex.


As it turns out, I've been sort of on the receiving end of one of these scenarios. My dad had said we were going out to eat with friends of my parents, and unbeknownst to me, their daughter was also there. They didn't do the whole, "we'll leave you two alone" thing, but I pretty quickly figured out what was up. It ended up being really awkward, especially since I've never felt comfortable conversing with strangers at length, so I couldn't wait for it to end.


As far as the declining interest in marriage/kids/etc. goes, I'm sure that ease of access to other outlets is an easy scapegoat, but I think that bit about the long work hours and not much support for parents is a bigger factor. If you're exhausted from a long work day and have to turn around and do it again, it's pretty easy to not see how dating or kids would be manageable on top of it.
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Aca Vuksa



Joined: 22 Mar 2018
Posts: 643
Location: Nis, Serbia
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:35 pm Reply with quote
For Japan having a declining birth rate and fewer marriages, it's going to be one of the most chaotic events that happen within Japan. A number of elderly growing and the workforce are in decline in use, there will be few staff members who will make anime, manga and video games fewer than ever. It won't be until Japan's government starts accepting migrants in the first place to keep the country's population from falling.

I know Pokemon staff members in Game Freak are also not getting married much, which means, i know Junichi Masuda is not getting married as well.

And that Japan is in desperate in needing for more migrants to have them work in Japan!

Also, i know my country Serbia also has the lowest marriage as well, even other countries like UK, US, Germany, etc, have the lowest marriage rates, but they managed to stop their population from falling by taking inflows of migrants to keep their country well balanced.

Japan seems to be the only country that doesn't want to accept migrants at all, but why they are doing this and keep their population only to ethnically Japanese is no fair. Even Japan accept refugees, with only 28 being accepted.
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:18 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
They do pop up in anime quite a bit, because they make for good child/parent drama. (I was first exposed to it watching Maison Ikkoku back in the day.)


Mrs. Ichinose, IIRC, showing some possibilities for Kyoko--
Which, like Dr. Tofu's mom in "Ranma 1/2", is now pretty much a trope for showing "Older traditional oba-sans", for our protagonist to come up into guilty conflict with tradition, while trying to come to terms with acting on their own feelings.

(And while the thumbnail actually represents Lum dragging Ataru to the subspace altar herself, her dad did try to step in with an arranged marriage back in the early second-season reboot, when we were just starting to grasp the concept of the two ending up together.)
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14896
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:23 pm Reply with quote
"The four most competitive activities in life are the entrance exams for university, getting a job, finding a spouse — and securing a nursery school spot."

-- Mikiko Eto, the principal of Hatto Nursery School in Tokyo. In crowded Tokyo neighborhoods, many mothers begin the search before their babies are born.
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Drifter24



Joined: 03 Jun 2019
Posts: 27
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:53 pm Reply with quote
Aca Vuksa wrote:
For Japan having a declining birth rate and fewer marriages, it's going to be one of the most chaotic events that happen within Japan. A number of elderly growing and the workforce are in decline in use, there will be few staff members who will make anime, manga and video games fewer than ever. It won't be until Japan's government starts accepting migrants in the first place to keep the country's population from falling.

I know Pokemon staff members in Game Freak are also not getting married much, which means, i know Junichi Masuda is not getting married as well.

And that Japan is in desperate in needing for more migrants to have them work in Japan!

Also, i know my country Serbia also has the lowest marriage as well, even other countries like UK, US, Germany, etc, have the lowest marriage rates, but they managed to stop their population from falling by taking inflows of migrants to keep their country well balanced.

Japan seems to be the only country that doesn't want to accept migrants at all, but why they are doing this and keep their population only to ethnically Japanese is no fair. Even Japan accept refugees, with only 28 being accepted.


I think it may be a long while before Japan starts accepting immigrants. I have read that a lot of expats find it hard to adapt to Japanese society and many natives still are not welcoming to foreigners in the work place. Tourist are easy since they will eventually go back where they came from, but immigrants plan to work and probably live there which is still a challenge Japan will have to overcome. Even in the West we see many natives angry at migrants from the political discourse going on.
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Aca Vuksa



Joined: 22 Mar 2018
Posts: 643
Location: Nis, Serbia
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:57 pm Reply with quote
@Drifter24

Yeah, i am sure Japan has to stop being an racist nation in the world. And that Japan needs to be ethnically diverse as well.

Here is the video about do Japanese people want immigrants:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W0tYeK_kkA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9gDBkwl4qY
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#HayamiLover



Joined: 22 Jul 2018
Posts: 800
Location: Eastern Europe
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:58 pm Reply with quote
catbot158 wrote:
Ahh, the arranged marriage plot. Always good for wringing up drama. (And rom-com/shoujo shenanigans) Still sad that it happens to minors/people who really don't want it, though.

The population decline in Japan is a fascinating subject to me. There are a lot of factors and causes at play here. A lot of it has to do with the overworking problem Japan has, but immigration limitations and lack of support for both financially strapped youth and the LGBT+ community are a part of it.
How far down will Japan's population go before it becomes an emergency? Possibly sooner rather than later. But I still have hope Japan will figure out a feasible way to solve it.


I can still understand the linking of immigration issues to falling birth rate, even though it looks racist "your nation are declining? Then invite more foreigners!" But how can LGBTQ support increase birth rate?
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Sticks



Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Posts: 199
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 3:07 pm Reply with quote
I was reading a Manga recently that refer to some of the young women being in arranged engagements or marriages, to protect family money or status. The girls talked about it so casually amongst themselves like it was no big deal or commonplace, but not around regular girls because (according to them) girls with “no class” or poor would never understand that this is how it’s always done.

In this case, could this be true???
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Chrono1000





PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:46 pm Reply with quote
Aca Vuksa wrote:
Japan seems to be the only country that doesn't want to accept migrants at all, but why they are doing this and keep their population only to ethnically Japanese is no fair. Even Japan accept refugees, with only 28 being accepted.

There are several Arabic countries that have very low limits on refugees as well and that is true for the vast majority of countries on the planet.

Aca Vuksa wrote:
Yeah, i am sure Japan has to stop being an racist nation in the world. And that Japan needs to be ethnically diverse as well.

It is baffling when I see people on the internet lecture Japan on what they need to do. I would expect that the Japanese will decide what is best for Japan.
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CandisWhite



Joined: 19 Apr 2015
Posts: 282
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:55 pm Reply with quote
#HayamiLover wrote:
catbot158 wrote:
The population decline in Japan is a fascinating subject to me. There are a lot of factors and causes at play here. A lot of it has to do with the overworking problem Japan has, but immigration limitations and lack of support for both financially strapped youth and the LGBT+ community are a part of it.

I can still understand the linking of immigration issues to falling birth rate, even though it looks racist "your nation are declining? Then invite more foreigners!" But how can LGBTQ support increase birth rate?
1) Not straight and/or trans people are physically capable of giving birth but have different medical needs than straight and/or cisgender people when it comes to pregnancy. I've read that even straight, cis, single women have a tough time getting in vitro fertilization.

2) I couldn't find up to date information on this but adoption has usually been a no-go for gay couples in Japan. If that could be addressed, it would help with keeping a healthy future workforce, a major reason that population stability is needed.
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Sakagami Tomoyo



Joined: 06 Dec 2008
Posts: 947
Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 6:54 pm Reply with quote
Chrono1000 wrote:
It is baffling when I see people on the internet lecture Japan on what they need to do. I would expect that the Japanese will decide what is best for Japan.

While random people on the internet aren't really in a position to dictate policy to governments, no nation exists in isolation from the world. What the rest of the world thinks can and does have an effect.
jdnation wrote:
There is a reason. It has to do with preserving the heritage of Japanese culture.

It's not going to disappear entirely because some foreigners move in. And sure it'll change, but it's been doing that ever since an American naval officer showed up in the 1850s and said "guys, stop being isolationist, trade with the rest of the world". Cultures change, but still remain distinct from other cultures in their own ways.
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#HayamiLover



Joined: 22 Jul 2018
Posts: 800
Location: Eastern Europe
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 9:02 pm Reply with quote
CandisWhite wrote:
#HayamiLover wrote:
catbot158 wrote:
The population decline in Japan is a fascinating subject to me. There are a lot of factors and causes at play here. A lot of it has to do with the overworking problem Japan has, but immigration limitations and lack of support for both financially strapped youth and the LGBT+ community are a part of it.

I can still understand the linking of immigration issues to falling birth rate, even though it looks racist "your nation are declining? Then invite more foreigners!" But how can LGBTQ support increase birth rate?
1) Not straight and/or trans people are physically capable of giving birth but have different medical needs than straight and/or cisgender people when it comes to pregnancy. I've read that even straight, cis, single women have a tough time getting in vitro fertilization.

2) I couldn't find up to date information on this but adoption has usually been a no-go for gay couples in Japan. If that could be addressed, it would help with keeping a healthy future workforce, a major reason that population stability is needed.


These procedures are not free, moreover, LGBTQ people grow in the same culture, why are you sure that they will also decide to marry, even if straight people do not marry or have children? Too many ifs.
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Mad_Scientist
Subscriber
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Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 3013
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 10:31 pm Reply with quote
I don't care how big a wall of text you make, if your essential point is that LGBT people shouldn't be able to marry because it "devalues" marriage and that LGBT people being able to adopt kids is harmful to the children and results in them being "experimented with raising them in ways to get them to change their natural attitudes and views about family, sex and gender," aka the "LGBT folks are transing/gaying their kids" bigoted conspiracy nonsense we've all heard a 100 times, your posts are getting nuked and your ability to continue to post here is getting restricted if not outright eliminated.

This is related to one specific person whose posts are no longer in this thread, but apparently this warning is something that actually needs to be stated, so here we are.
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Chrono1000





PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 11:13 pm Reply with quote
Sakagami Tomoyo wrote:
While random people on the internet aren't really in a position to dictate policy to governments, no nation exists in isolation from the world. What the rest of the world thinks can and does have an effect.

I believe that truth is an absolute and the popularity of an idea doesn't make a bit of difference to me. Also I think there is something strange when people in other countries state that to make Japan better that it needs less Japanese people in it.

Sakagami Tomoyo wrote:
And sure it'll change, but it's been doing that ever since an American naval officer showed up in the 1850s and said "guys, stop being isolationist, trade with the rest of the world".

That was a US naval force and it was an example of gunboat diplomacy. Historically speaking Japan was very lucky and to give a different example gunboat diplomacy in China resulted in the opium wars.
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