The commodification of romance in relation to fertility rate in Japan: a case study in Tokunoshima.

Japan's low fertility rate has been a concern for over thirty years. Despite a vast literature on the topic, numerous policies and measures to boost the country's fertility rate, and the will of Japanese people to have a family, Japan seems powerless to remedy the problem commonly called shôshika in...

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Published in:Japan Forum Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 352 - 375
Main Authors: Bardot, Sonny, Moriki, Yoshie
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Sep2024
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Sep2024
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        10.1080/09555803.2024.2332176
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        atl: The commodification of romance in relation to fertility rate in Japan: a case study in Tokunoshima.
      aug:
        au:
          Bardot, Sonny
          Moriki, Yoshie
      su:
        Marriage
        Fertility
        Romantic love
        Japanese people
        Developed countries
        Commodification
      sug:
        subj:
          Marriage
          Fertility
          Romantic love
          Japanese people
          Developed countries
          Commodification
      keyword:
        commodification of romance
        demography
        Low fertility rate in Japan
        romantic love
        shoshika
        Tokunoshima
        commodification of romance
        demography
        Low fertility rate in Japan
        romantic love
        shoshika
        Tokunoshima
      ab: Japan's low fertility rate has been a concern for over thirty years. Despite a vast literature on the topic, numerous policies and measures to boost the country's fertility rate, and the will of Japanese people to have a family, Japan seems powerless to remedy the problem commonly called shôshika in Japanese. Yet, Southern parts of Japan show that it does not equally affect the archipelago. Remote islands in Japan have an exceptionally high fertility rate compared to other developed countries. The paper aims to understand the reasons for their high fertility rate by focusing on late and lifelong singlehood (bankonka and mikonka) as a critical factor of the shôshika. It will particularly pay attention to the perception of love and romance in one of those remote islands: Tokunoshima. It will argue that the absence of commodification in romantic intercourse facilitates matchmaking that would result in the creation of a family. People are more likely to meet someone with whom they will have a family when the dating process is not embedded with commodified gestures. On another note, although their view of dating is similar to individuals in other developed countries, the practice of dating takes alternative forms that force them not to rely on the commodification of romance, which increases their chances of matchmaking. As a result, inhabitants of Tokunoshima quickly find a marriage partner, which contributes to the absence of late and lifelong singlehood.
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    language: English
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