Is cheating in Japan really as common as people say?

11 comments

1. Cheating is common all over the world IMO, Japan doesn’t cheat any more or less than people in the US. Is it more accepted? Well, the Japanese are not as prudish about sex as the west is generally. But someone being cheated on will be hurt regardless of their nationality.

   I can’t speak on it from a Japanese cultural perspective as I am American. But my wife is Japanese and WANTS me to cheat on her. Well I guess technically it’s not cheating so much as it is a semi-open relationship, but when I told this to another person and another Asian woman (Chinese in this case) overheard me she said something like “yeah that’s a pretty common thing in Asia”.

2. Yes it is pretty common and often accepted as a kind of fact of life.

   Most will say it is unacceptable if you ask them, but many still do it when they can get away with it. *Don’t ask, don’t tell* kind of thing often.

3. It is very common but I don’t think it’s more common than my home, The UK.

   What is more common is paying for sex

4. People are quite open about it doesn’t necessarily more common. Among young girls, about 30% boast about they cheat their bf.

5. Ya it’s pretty darn common. Way more JP folks I know in Tokyo engage in it than folks I know in the states. What you’re talking about regarding your gf isn’t cheating though. That’s just her.

6. It’s more common to pay for a “professional” than in many western countries, and even **some** couples don’t see this as cheating, but I think many people in their 20s and 30s see this as “bad behavior” and many more consider it cheating that older generations.

   Generally, actual “love relationships” on the side are not accepted by either men or women. I guess that’s why they are supposed to be secret and that’s why it’s called “cheating.” You can get super f*cked by the law if in marriage, and most women/men will leave you if you cheat unless they are as equally fast and lose about it.

   Surprisingly, out of all the married couples I know personally in Japan, the only ones that were caught (or talked about) cheating on their spouse were foreigners. So, I wouldn’t really say it’s a “Japanese” thing. Then again, maybe Japanese are just better at hiding it… This is merely anecdotal, so who really knows. Probably foreigners still believing that “cheating is acceptable” in Japan… lol

7. Someone is looking to get some of that bored housewife mango

8. I don’t notice it being any worse than the US. I think people cheat pretty much everywhere you go to some extent. Depending on what kind of company you work for, it can be pretty hard to maintain a good relationship with your spouse, but that’s the same anywhere that demands long hours. I would say the long hours seem far more acceptable than in the US… especially the hours where you’re not doing anything other than waiting for the boss to go home.

9. OP you should check out [this book on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BM523ZW8/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=2ARGSOFQVMNP&keywords=easy%3A+how+to+pick+up%2C+date&qid=1668224318&sprefix=easy+how+to+pick+up%2C+date%2Caps%2C316&sr=8-2). It’s written by a white British guy who talks about his experiences in Japan with single, taken and married women. Very funny.

   Short answer: YES!

   Long answer: yes, but not all.

10. >浮気経験のある人が2割いるという結果になりました。更に男女別で見ると、浮気経験がある人の割合は、男性が22.3%、女性が18.86%と、男性の方がやや浮気経験がある人が多いという結果になりました。

11. It happens. But it happens everywhere.

    Is it acceptable? I think acceptable is the wrong word. I think affairs in the Western world lead to a divorce more commonly than in Japan. Japan’s divorce rate lags behind the West. So accept or shikata ga nai (it can’t be helped).