
Not only are almost 90% of One Piece readers adult, most of the adult readership is at or past middle-age and quickly getting older, a far cry from the kiddy image stereotypically associated with many shonen manga titles.
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An article proclaiming that most otaku settle for 2D only after failing to get 3D has predictably ignited a storm of controversy amongst otaku.
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Government surveys of the Japanese population reveal unprecedented numbers no longer see having children as “necessary,” with some 60% of men and women in their twenties and thirties seeing no need to bother reproducing.
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The huge and rapidly growing imbalance in China’s ratio of males to females has been known for some time, but surveys reveal Chinese themselves are now acutely aware of the impending demographic crisis:
“There are 36 boys in our son’s class, and only 19 girls. We worry as to whether he can ever find a wife like this…”
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Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso has told the nation’s youth that they shouldn’t marry if they have no money, and that they can’t expect any respect from their partner if they have no money.
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Otaku are struggling to come to terms with their enforced celibacy after recent surveys revealed that half of all third year high schoolers were no longer virgins, marking them as even more abnormal than they thought.
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According to the Japan Health Promotion and Fitness Foundation, the percentage of male smokers has been on a steady decline since the 1960’s, halving in the period.
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As a countermeasure against population decline caused by a lowered birthrate, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (or at least a faction thereof) is proposing that Japan should aim for 10% of its population (128 million) to be comprised of immigrants by 2050, which would mean an additional 10 million on top of the current 1-2 million (depending on criteria).
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The Tokyo government has recently conducted some empirical research into the number of adult hikikomori to be found in the capital, and their findings are some of the first credible statistics regarding the “issue”, as there have been a number of baseless assertions previously. They claim over 25,000 adult hikikomori in the capital, and they seem to think this worthy of action. Details follow.
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Two rather similar stories come to my attention via Itainews, one alleging that Japanese youth are suffering from a decline in literacy and historical knowledge, and another asserting the Japan’s sex trade is facing dire straits because young men no longer have the sex drive they once had (presumably they are pursuing alternatives rather than abstinence, although the article doesn’t address this for reasons which will become obvious).
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