Nearly 40 percent of single people in their 20s and 30s do not want a romantic partner, according to a survey by the Cabinet Office released in June. The survey was included in a government white paper on Japan's notoriously low birthrate that also found 46.2 percent of singles claiming that relationships were "bothersome." That phrase may in part explain why Japan's birthrate has dropped precipitously, but it also points to what improvements might help all people in or out of relationships.

Of those surveyed, 28.8 percent said they are unmarried and are not in a romantic relationship. Of those, 39.1 percent of women and 36.2 percent of men said they did not even want a romantic partner. The percentage of people who have never married by the age of 50 is also increasing, the survey found.

Low-income earners were even less interested in romantic relationships. Perhaps they have already given up on the possibility. An earlier survey found that 30 percent of unmarried women would only marry someone who made over ¥5 million a year. In Japan, romantic potential and financial security seem to be linked closely, but the full effect of the economy on relationships is hard to ascertain.