The bumpy road to socialise nature: sex education in Japan

Abstract

This study was prompted by an empirical puzzle: why is sex education in schools so underdeveloped in Japan compared to many other industrialised societies? On the one hand, formal pedagogy under state policy is conservative, emphasising reproductive and prophylactic purposes rather than a comprehensive understanding of sexuality. On the other hand, however, Japan has a highly visible sexual environment where a variety of commercial sex activities are tolerated and even encouraged. The aim of the paper is to provide an integrated picture of these apparently contradictory trends by examining the nexus of political, economic and sociocultural factors that affect sex education in contemporary Japan.

Non-Consensual Sex among Japanese Women in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Large-Scale Nationwide Survey-Based Study

“…In Japan, research related to sexual matters is limited. We believe this limitation stems from the fact that sexual topics are often considered taboo with Japanese education institutions, and sexual education in Japan lags behind that in Western countries (22)(23)(24). Additionally, the understanding of obtaining sexual consent, which is essential in all sexual activities, lags behind compared to countries that are known to be advanced in sex education in some of Europe countries (13,22,25).…”

Patients' need for information on permanent contraception during a cesarean section: A cross‐sectional questionnaire survey

“…Although this may be one of the reasons for the low rate of permanent contraception in Japanese women, previous studies also showed that counseling on permanent contraception by healthcare providers to women in the United States 21 and the Netherlands 11 was inadequate. Another possible reason for the low rate of permanent contraception is inadequate sex education in Japan 22 . The rate of reliable contraceptive use is lower in Japan than in other countries 4 .…”

Evaluation of contraceptive methods in women with congenital heart disease in Germany, Hungary and Japan

“…According to Matsumoto et al, the little response the "pill" meets despite its introduction as a legal contraceptive in Japan in 1999 is attributed partly to the incurring costs [15,16,17]. Another reason for the lack of acceptance of the "pill" in Japan might be the approach to sex education in schools: According to Fu it is underdeveloped compared to many other industrialised societies [18]. In contrast, there is a widespread use of the combined oral contraceptive pill in Germany and Hungary.…”