A marriage without intimacy & love - Know all about Japan’s trending ‘Friendship Marriage’
'Friendship Marriage' : A new and trending relationship known as “Friendship Marriage” is gaining widespread popularity in Japan, especially among youth.
The emerging relationship trend emerges from individuals entering into platonic partnerships devoid of romantic involvement or intimacy.
The demographic opting for friendship marriages encompasses a diverse spectrum, including asexuals, homosexuals, and disillusioned heterosexuals disenchanted with conventional matrimony.
Friendship marriage is a form of relationship where individuals are legally recognised as spouses but do not engage in romantic love or sexual intimacy.
They have the option to live together or separately and may choose to have children through artificial insemination.
In Friendship Marriage, both the partners are permitted to pursue romantic relationships with others outside the marriage, provided there is mutual agreement
Approximately one percent of Japan's 124 million population, equating to thousands of individuals, are embracing this alternative relationship model, emphasising shared values and interests over traditional romantic bonds.
The average age of those interested in this kind of relationship is 32.5 years old, and their income is higher than the national average.
This arrangement does not involve traditional romantic love or marrying a best friend. Instead, under this arrangement, couples typically meet before marriage and spend hours or days agreeing on everyday issues such as whether to eat meals together, how to split finances, who does the washing, and how to divide refrigerator space.
- With inputs from agencies
