Japanese Women Live, and Like It, On Their Own

Nagako Motomiya, a senior administrator with the City of Tokyo, said she hasn't "given up yet on marriage. . . . But in this day and age, you can live comfortably as a single woman in Japan." (Akiko Yamamoto For The Washington Post)

"In the past, it was difficult for women to have the income to live on their own," she said. "If you weren't married, you got that look from people and your parents. But not any more, not at all."

The resulting change is also being cited as a major factor for the birthrate decline of the past few decades. With women giving birth to an average of 1.29 children -- among the lowest rates in the world -- Japan's population is expected to peak at an estimated 128 million within the next two years. After that, the Japanese population is projected to decrease -- dropping to 120 million by 2026 and to 100 million by 2050, according to government statistics.

That raises critical questions about whether Japan -- traditionally adverse to immigration -- will have enough workers to run the world's second-largest economy. In addition, with fewer workers paying into the pension system and Japan's population graying -- on average, the Japanese live longer than any other people on earth, with a lifespan of 85.33 years for women and 78.36 for men -- the national pension system here is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Some Japanese men, including political leaders, have criticized single women who refuse to retain their traditional roles in the home. Yoshiro Mori, Japan's former prime minister, insisted angrily last year that women who did not give birth should not receive pensions.

"Welfare is supposed to take care of and reward those women who have lots of children," he said in a speech. "It is truly strange to say that we have to use tax money to take care of women who don't even give birth once, who grow old living their lives selfishly and singing the praises of freedom."

Some Japanese bachelors are getting desperate. After 10 failed attempts to find a bride through a matchmaking service, Masayuki Kado, 39, enrolled in a new bridegroom school in Nagoya, Japan's fourth-largest city.

Kado, a solar panel researcher, endured lessons in witty conversation, clothing coordination and good grooming habits. But in the real world, Kado said his biggest hurdle had little to do with clothes or charm. "It's difficult even after marriage. Women today no longer want to stay home," he said. "But I still want to come home after work and see my wife greeting me at the front door saying, 'Welcome home, honey.' "

Many single women here say that such traditional attitudes have kept them from marrying in the first place.

"Single women in Japan generally do want to marry -- or at least I did, and I still do," said a 40-year-old successful female executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve her privacy. Chatting at a Tokyo Starbucks, she said she had turned down a promising suitor because he expected her to quit her job to be a full-time wife and mother.

Men "need to update the way they think of women," she said.

Special correspondents Sachiko Sakamaki and Akiko Yamamoto contributed to this report.