The country's 60 billion yen condom industry has taken the offensive lately in a withering market, promoting a batch of new products designed to woo youths who are increasingly sexually active but reluctant to use protection.
Expecting competition to intensify further, major condom manufacturers are infusing their products with playful elements, a trend helped by a perception the health ministry has eased regulations.
In late March, Okamoto Industries Inc. started marketing "a new sensation condom" that features bumps on the surface and menthol-laced jelly.