There's a new phrase out there and it's making a lot of people self-conscious. "Makeinu (losing dog)," which once meant nothing more than the literal translation, now indicates that swelling segment of the Japanese population: single people over 30.
According to novelist Junko Sakai, who coined the phrase with her bestseller "Makeinu no Toboe (The Howl of the Losing Dog)," losing dogs are hopeless losers until they find an appropriate mate or (in the case of women) at least become a single parent. It's especially tough for women, writes Ms. Sakai, "because no matter how good-looking or successful she may be in her career, if she's alone that means she's a losing dog." Gee.
A big consolation is that losing dogs are becoming the majority. Ever since the Koyokikai Kintoho (Equal Employment Opportunities Law) kicked in 20 years ago, generations of professional women have been coming to the same conclusion: that marriage, at least in the Japanese social system, just ain't worth it.