Sotsukon: Japan married couples are shunning divorce to 'live separately & pursue lifelong dreams' apart from one another
An arrangement between Japanese married couples in which the husband and the wife both agree to separate in pursuit of other things is becoming more widespread.
The practice is called "sotsukon," and couples mutually decide to live separately from each other so they can pursue their lifelong dreams, which, for some reason, they would not be able to fulfill if they are together.
Although the arrangement is similar to that of divorce, couples who practice "sotsukon" do not legally separate because they still profess to be in love with each other. Thus, they claim they merely "graduate from marriage," a report from CNN stated.
The term "sotsukon" came from "sotsugo," which means graduation, and "kekkon," which means marriage. It was coined by author Yumiko Sugiyama who wrote about the concept in her 2004 book, "Sotsukon no Susume" ("Recommending the Graduation from Marriage").
Sugiyama said many Japanese households still follow the traditional setup in which the husband is the primary income earner and the wife supports him at home and depends on him financially.
"I wondered, what if each member of the married couple could obtain more freedom to do what they want without getting divorced?" Sugiyama said.
The idea appealed greatly to Japanese couples, especially to the women. More wives request "sotsukon" than husbands, who are often intimidated by the idea.
"My husband wants to return to his hometown to take care of his parents, but I don't want to go," one woman said. "I would like to travel and spend more time with my friends."
The population of Japan shrunk by 0.7 percent from 128.1 million in 2010 to 127.1 million as of last year. Researchers claim that one reason for this is that Japanese couples are becoming less interested in marriage or sex.
A study showed that about half of the country's married couples no longer have sex. The men who participated in the study said they are too tired when they get home from work, while the women said they found sex "bothersome," according to CBN News.
With "sotsukon" becoming more popular, Japan's population could shrink further in the coming years.
