[f_allwein]

Yes, but virginity is an interesting part of the issue:

> Around 42 percent of men and 44.2 percent of women admitted that they were virgins

this seems quite high, although I haven't compared it to data from other countries. Are Japanese people having less sex? And if so, why?

[bbctol]

It's misleading wording in the article; that's actually the percentages of 18-34 year-olds not married or in a relationship.

[NumberCruncher]

I am not a Japan-expert but I remember seeing a documentary about young Japan couples renting sex-hotel rooms on hourly basis, because they have no other place to get intimate. It's quite hard to loose your virginity and get pregnant when your family is watching...

[6t6t6t6]

You are talking about love hotels. They are extremely common in Japan and they are really not a big deal. Almost all of them are perfectly clean and they are cheap as well (for Japanese standards); for less than the equivalent of $40 you can get a room.

People who are dating use them a lot. Because flats are usually quite small, it is sometimes more convenient to spend the night in a love hotel than going home. Married couples use love hotels from time to time in order to be able to make sex without having to worry about the noise, or about a kid interrupting.

The most important for Japanese society is convenience! ;)

[coldtea]

>It's quite hard to loose your virginity and get pregnant when your family is watching..

A teenager in the US (or most other places for that matter) would have saved to rent a Waldorf Astoria suite if that was the only way to get their game on...