Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

Recently in Japan one third of households are single person, meaning living alone in one residential unit. Percentage of life-long unmarried people is 25% in male and 15 % in female today. That is 3-4 times increase from 20 years ago.

Businesses respond to that trend. Home electric appliances such as toaster, juice mixer, hot plate targeted to single life people make big sales. Travel agents provide tours for single attendee, which only one person can apply alone. Karaoke room for one singer.

Share house, kind of dormitory style apartments have been built for single households. Since living alone for life is no longer marginalized, such lifestyle is no longer inconvenient one.

Some worry about aging population with low birthrate caused by more unmarried people. Why has such lifestyle become common recently in Japan? You might not believe that since Japan is more traditional and group-oriented society than any other advanced nations.

One of the factors is economy. Japanese economy has gone bad. Especially, among younger generation, income has dropped drastically from their parents' generation.  

The other factor is Japan's lack of dating culture like the West. Japan is conservative society so marriages had been commonly arranged by the couples' parents and relatives. That way couples needed no love affairs to reach engagement. Marriage has been considered customary life event among older generations.

Nowadays free choice is important in terms of finding a partner. But not many youngsters do not know how to hunt their appropriate partners because their parents cannot teach them how and culturally such things are not popular so they are not trained to do so. That is a big difference from the West.

Anyway, Japan's population is aging and more people are becoming single-person household. Is it so bad? If so, how should it be amended?

One way to do is lowering life expense. Providing free school education, free medical care, free school meals and financial aids for households with children.  

The other is acknowledging diversed lifestyle, not only single-person life but people with children like single-mothers or fathers. Traditional family lifestyle is father-mother and children but nowadays there are many unmarried parents in the world. Like in France more than half of all parents, in US one-third are unmarried. In Japan still only 2%. Japan's system makes single parents hard to deal with society. We have to change that if we are worried about aging population. It is better to help those who want to have children but give up than taking on those who are unreluctant.

Personally, however the population as a whole is aging, it is totally up to individuals to choose what she or he wants to be. No one should tell others what to do.

What do you think about this issue? How is the situation in your country?