According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 35.5% of marriages in Japan end up in divorce. And the rate is even higher among international marriages: More than half fail. That alone speaks volumes on how difficult it can be to maintain a cross-cultural relationship.
Studies by the Pew Research Center have observed a similar trend, with 41% of interracial couples in the United States separating, compared to just 31% of those who married within their own race.
The numbers in Japan vary greatly depending on the specific nationality and gender mix. More than 57% of marriages between a Japanese man and a Chinese or Korean woman end in divorce. Per Ricon Pro, a Japanese divorce support service, cultural barriers come to the forefront here as East Asian tendencies to involve the whole family in a marriage put pressure on the couple. Meanwhile, a stunning 68% of couples made up of a Japanese man and Filipino woman divorced, with financial and economic disagreements and difficulties cited as the primary causes.