From a ranking of the most annoying behaviors people encounter on trains to a survey showing that the majority of respondents were dissatisfied with a lack of quality sleep, polls conducted in Japan in 2024 highlighted a host of current issues the light. Below you will find a selection of research articles that provide a glimpse into Japanese social, private and work life.
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‘Coughing, sneezing’ voted the most annoying behavior on the train for the first time: research in Japan
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TOKYO – “Coughing and sneezing without regard for others” topped the list of disruptive behavior on trains and at stations for the first time in a survey by the Japan Private Railway Association. Full story.
41% in Japan do not send New Year’s cards: Mainichi survey
This archive photo shows a Japanese mailbox. (Mainichi/Takuma Nakamura)
TOKYO – Forty-one percent of people in Japan do not send New Year’s cards, according to a Dec. 14-15 poll by the Mainichi Shimbun. Full story.
People, especially women, often feel happy when partners do housework: Japanese research
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TOKYO — People in Japan, especially women, generally feel happy when their partners proactively do household chores, according to a study by a private think tank. Full story.
Japan ranks lowest among 31 countries in the love life satisfaction survey for the second year in a row
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TOKYO – Japanese people’s satisfaction with their “romantic and sexual lives” ranked at the lowest among 31 countries in an international awareness survey conducted by France-based public opinion polling firm Ipsos. Full story.
Japan ranks 92nd in English proficiency, lowest ever: survey
A representative of EF Education First’s Japanese subsidiary explains the English Proficiency Index world rankings in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on November 13, 2024. (Mainichi/Buntaro Saito)
TOKYO – Japan ranks 92nd in 2024 English proficiency rankings among 116 countries and regions where English is not the native language, the Japanese subsidiary of a Swiss international education company announced Nov. 13. Full story.
Customers Demand Japanese Companies’ Employees Kneel to Apologize, and Many Obey: Investigation
People apologize in ‘dogeza’ style in this unrelated file photo. (Mainichi)
TOKYO – Nearly 47% of companies in Japan have faced customer demands for employees to kneel on the ground in ‘dogeza’ style to apologize, and about 70% of those have actually adopted the humiliating position, it has been found from a recent study. Full story.
Majority in Japan dissatisfied with sleeping hours, quality: survey
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TOKYO – Japan’s sleep duration is said to be among the shortest in the world, with a majority in the country dissatisfied with their sleep hours or quality, according to a recent survey. Even those who get a fair amount of z’s are not satisfied with it, highlighting the severity of the sleep-related problems. Full story.
Nearly 1 in 5 20-somethings used redundancy agencies to quit their jobs in Japan: study
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TOKYO – Nearly one in five 20-somethings who changed jobs in Japan in the past year used the services of a redundancy agency when they were fired, according to a recent survey by a Japanese employment information provider. Full story.
Only 57% of Japanese feel ‘happy’, third lowest rate among 30 countries: survey
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TOKYO – Only 57 percent of Japanese people feel happy, the third-lowest percentage among 30 countries surveyed, according to a report by French polling firm Ipsos SA. Full story.
60% in Japan don’t like cherry blossom viewing with colleagues, call events ‘work’: survey
On March 29, 2023, a crowd of cherry blossom watchers is seen at Ueno Park in Tokyo’s Taito Ward. (Mainichi/Tohru Shirakawa)
TOKYO – Partying under the cherry blossoms with bosses and colleagues seems to be a thing of the past in Japan, as roughly 60% of respondents to a recent survey said they did not want to participate in such events and considered them “work.” Full story.