Husband and wife or permanent roommates? Well, the new relationship trend in Japan is something like that.
While facing a declining marriage rate, Japan is now seeing a new trend of ‘Friendship Marriage’ booming among youngsters. The idea is to have a relationship where the partners are legally spouses but stay as a ‘platonic’ couple without committing to love or s*x. The marriage is understood as a bond devoid of love, romance, or physical intimacy, and the partners are even allowed to have relationships out of the marriage.
This new trend does not follow the typical arranged marriage setup. Neither is it about marrying your lover or friend. In fact, couples sit and discuss unromantic things before marriage. And, such discussions have helped about 80% of ‘friendship’ couples to live together happily!
No, the trend is not to promote divorces or extra-marital affairs. In fact, couples in a Friendship Marriage focus on mutual respect and companionship and do not put societal pressure on their legal spouse to get involved romantically or physically. Couples can even decide to have children, if they want, with artificial insemination. The generation is keeping ‘consent’ and mutual agreement above everything else these days.
While 1% of Japan’s population is found to be choosing this unique kind of relationship, it has become a boon for the LGBTQ+ community. With the trend becoming viral and being accepted in the country, individuals belonging to the as*xual, homos*xual, or heteros*xual groups can become platonic partners with their ‘friends’ or ones they choose to live life with. Besides, as it is difficult for single women to become mothers in Japan, they can choose to embrace motherhood and have children out of a friendship marriage.
Modern couples and relationship trends are seeing a lot of shifts from the age-old concept of love, marriage, and family dynamics. With DINKs and same-s*x marriages becoming the new normal, this generation is disillusioned with traditional concepts and is seeking alternatives to conventional marriage and relationship norms set by society.
