Almost half of single young men and women in Japan are virgins, according to a study that was conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.
The survey of Japanese people aged 18 to 34 found that almost 70% of unmarried men and 60% of unmarried women are not in a relationship.
Moreover, many of them have never got close and cuddly. Around 42% of the men and 44.2% of the women admitted they were virgins.
Far from getting together and getting it on, the sexes are growing apart. There are now many more virgins than in 2010, when the last study was conducted and when only 36.2% of men and 38.7% of women said that they had never had sex.
The institute said the increase in singles was particularly sharp for people in their late 20s, the age at which science tells us women are most fertile.
30% of the 2,706 men sampled and 26% of the 2,570 female respondents said that they were not currently looking for a relationship.
Meanwhile, the same study found that the number of children among couples who have been married for between 15 and 19 years averaged a record-low 1.94.