A record-high 61.4 percent of unmarried Japanese males aged between 18 and 34 have no girlfriend, up 9.2 percentage points from 2005, a June 2010 survey by a research body showed Friday.
The percentage of single females with no boyfriend in the same age group also hit a record high, of 49.5 percent, up 4.8 percentage points, while nearly half the respondents of both genders said they were not interested in dating anyone, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research said.
But a solid majority of the roughly 7,000 respondents, 86.3 percent of the males and 89.4 percent of the females, said they are willing to someday marry.
Asked why they remain unmarried, 13.5 percent of the men and 11.6 percent of women aged between 25 and 34 said they do not know how to be in a relationship, and 11.9 percent of males and 7.0 percent of females aged between 18 and 24 gave the same answer, the institute said.
Ryuichi Kaneko, a researcher at the institute, opined that many people may be giving up on relationships or marriage because they are busy with work or do not have the financial means to wed.
Asked if they would like to wed within a year, 43.3 percent of men and 53.2 percent of women said they want to or would if they find someone suitable. Both responses were record highs.
The poll is conducted every five years to grasp singles' attitudes toward marriage and relationships.