Half of Japan’s adults do not have sex, with abstention from the “carnal arts” increasingly the norm for both men and women, regardless of marital status, a recent report widely circulated in the UK media claims.

According to the report, Japanese men and women do not have sex for two main reasons: boredom and being too tired because of work.

The report states that 49.3% of Japanese respondents claimed that they have not engaged in sex (with another partner) in the past month, as most cited work-related fatique or simply being unwilling to partake in sensual “games”.

One fifth of men, aged between 25 to 29, said they are not interested in sex. The percentage is roughly the same for females.

Japanese researchers are focusing their study on the number of births too, since there has been a sharp drop recorded in recent years. According to demographic data, Japan’s rapidly aging population is expected to be reduced by one-third in the next 50 years.