One in four singles in their 30s who have never been married in Japan said they have no desire to tie the knot, citing such reasons as concerns over a loss of freedom, associated housework and financial burdens, a government survey showed Tuesday.
The findings of the survey on marriage and income were cited in the government's white paper on gender equality, which also noted that the number of marriages in 2021 dropped to around 514,000, the lowest in the postwar period, on the basis of preliminary data.
Noting that the forms families take have diversified as they include people who are unmarried, divorced or in common-law relationships, the government called for policies and measures to be focused on individuals rather than households, with a view to revising the tax deduction for spouses and other steps.