News On Japan

78% of Couples in Japan Say Their Marriage Is Harmonious

TOKYO - With November 22nd recognized as Good Couple Day, Meiji Yasuda Life released the results of its annual survey highlighting Japan’s perceptions of married life, including the ranking of the country’s most admired celebrity couples.

This year’s top choice for the “ideal celebrity couple” was DAIGO and Kitagawa Keiko, who surpassed last year’s first-place duo, Ohtani Shohei and his wife Mamiko. Many respondents expressed admiration for how DAIGO and Kitagawa continue to thrive in their careers while enjoying raising their children together as a family.

Among ordinary households, the survey found that 78.4% of married people consider their relationship “harmonious.” When asked about the secrets to maintaining a good marriage, respondents most commonly cited frequent communication, expressing gratitude, and avoiding excessive demands on one another.

The data also showed a striking difference in how much time couples spend talking each day. Those who described their marriage as harmonious reported an average of 4 hours and 26 minutes of conversation, while couples who said their relationship was not harmonious spoke for just 50 minutes, marking nearly a fivefold gap.

Technology is also beginning to play a role in sustaining relationships. When asked whether they refer to AI for advice related to dating or married life, 75.1% of respondents said they do. AI is already being used for household budgeting, managing relationships, and offering guidance on major purchases.

Some couples are integrating these tools into daily life. In one example shared in the survey, a husband said his wife often consults AI and then sends him screenshots via LINE summarizing what the AI believes each spouse is doing well—or not well—and offering suggestions for improving communication.

The results suggest that while traditional habits such as conversation and gratitude remain central to a strong marriage, AI is emerging as a new companion in navigating modern relationships.

Source: ABCTVnews

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Record-breaking rainfall struck Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures on August 27, triggering temporary Level 5 heavy rain emergency warnings as rivers overflowed, roads and homes flooded, landslides damaged communities and hundreds of households were temporarily isolated, with further warning-level rainfall forecast through the morning of August 28.

JR Kyushu plans to restore full service on the Kyushu Shinkansen from the first train on September 18, nearly two months after the Kumamoto earthquake caused extensive damage to tracks and stations and forced the suspension of services on part of the line.

A 9-minute, 13-second drone video filmed inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto two days after the deadly explosion has provided a detailed view of the destruction, showing collapsed ceilings, heavy dust and widespread damage that may have affected between one-third and nearly half of the shopping center.

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

A series of mysterious illegal dumping incidents involving about 39 kilograms of sliced bread has been reported around Mount Daisen and other parts of Tottori Prefecture in August, with officials investigating whether the food may have been deliberately placed to attract wild animals.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese avant-garde artist whose obsessive dots, nets, pumpkins and mirrored rooms grew from intensely personal visions into some of the most recognizable images in contemporary art, died at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97. Her death was announced on August 27 by companies representing the artist, which said she continued painting until her final days.

A Toei bus crashed into a traffic signal in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on the morning of August 26 after the driver lost control of the steering wheel while trying to shoo away a mosquito, leaving two male passengers injured.

Kanazawa's fire department is asking residents not to straighten or rearrange shoes removed by paramedics during emergency calls, warning that the well-intentioned gesture can delay the transport of patients by around 30 seconds and potentially interfere with medical care.

Two men who stole four luxury watches worth a combined 200 million yen from a store at Tokyo's Nakano Broadway may have carefully planned the 10-second theft, with one suspect renting an electric kick scooter shortly before the crime and investigators examining whether the other man's escape on foot was intended as a decoy.

A series of mysterious illegal dumping incidents involving about 39 kilograms of sliced bread has been reported around Mount Daisen and other parts of Tottori Prefecture in August, with officials investigating whether the food may have been deliberately placed to attract wild animals.

A 23-year-old man died after his car overturned and was badly damaged in Nemuro, Hokkaido, early on August 24, with police investigating whether the vehicle may have collided with a brown bear or another wild animal after black fur was found attached to the wreckage.

An 18-year-old high school student died after being trapped between a large festival lantern and a shopping arcade pillar during a traditional lantern-pushing event in Agano, Niigata Prefecture, on the evening of August 24, raising renewed questions about safety measures at festivals involving large crowds and heavy structures.

Nine people were injured, including two seriously, after a pleasure boat carrying 10 people ran aground near the mouth of the Tama River close to Haneda Airport on the evening of August 24.