Unlike Other Countries, Japan’s Divorce Rates Actually Dropped During Quarantine

Your significant other is the sweetest, most loving, most charming, and most wonderful person on the planet, until you have to be quarantined with them.

Then you realise they use the word “aiyo” every twenty seconds and that they like to beatbox while they’re texting, which both seemed cute at first but now seem like perfectly reasonable motives for murder.

Some countries such as China and Indonesia have reported an increase in their divorce rates ever since the coronavirus and its restrictions emerged.

In one country, however, couples seem to be doing better than they were before the pandemic.

Unlike Other Countries, Japan’s Divorce Rates Actually Dropped During Quarantine

Fewer married couples in Japan are calling it quits during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare.

The ministry recently released divorce statistics from January to June of this year which showed that there were a total of 100,122 divorces during this period.

That sounds like a lot, but it’s actually 10,923 fewer than the same period last year; nearly a 10% drop.

But what can explain this seemingly inexplicable phenomenon?

Sexy Times & Better Communication

Netizens had a few answers.

Some believe the extended period of time indoors led to more hanky panky, which brought couples closer over time.

One speculated that working from home allows for “better communication and more time together”, which are key ingredients for any good relationship.

Others believe that the whole “corona-induced divorces” were overhyped by the media, and that it isn’t as big an issue as they’ve made it out to be.

The representative from the ministry, however, had another, gloomier answer.

“All of society’s activities are on lockdown at the moment, so there are probably a lot of couples who are waiting for things to calm down before they go through the process of getting divorced,” he said.

He may not be far off with this claim.

According to Business Insider, some relationship experts and family attorneys expect divorce rates to spike once the pandemic dies down when courts are open and operating again.

Either way, why exactly would staying together for a long period of time, with the love of your life, strain your relationship?

Forced to Deal With Issues & Pressures of Pandemic

Even without a deadly virus on the loose, spending more time together in close quarters can increase the chance of divorce.

This is because couples who already have strained relationships would be forced to address issues they’ve been avoiding.

In fact, a study from the University of Washington showed that the divorce rate tends to spike after the holidays, when couples are together for a longer period of time.

This is why some have called January the “divorce month”.

And now, with the financial, emotional, and physical pressures of the coronavirus, some relationships may simply be too damaged to salvage.

Space is Everything

If you have the luxury of living in a house with your significant other where you can be in separate rooms while working, that’s an option you should probably take.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say. And being with someone for an extended period of time, no matter how much you love them, will lead to conflict eventually.

You could also take this time to bring up issues you were ignoring in the past, which could strengthen your relationship instead of harming it.

As for arguments, which will inevitably occur, taking a break before things escalate would give both of you an opportunity to calm down and view the issue in a rational manner.

Covid-19 can’t really be blamed for the downfall of your relationship. If you put in the effort and you’re both equally invested, then your relationship will be as healthy as ever.

And in the meantime, you can watch this video we’ve done that briefly touch on this issue (and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more meaningful videos):