A recent episode of the Abema show Secret Mom Garden 3 dropped some numbers on infidelity that left the studio guests stunned. According to the data presented, one in three married Japanese men in their twenties has had an extramarital affair.
Overall, the figures showed 21% of married men and 10.2% of married women have cheated. Broken down by age:
- Twenties: 33.3% of men, 15.1% of women
- Thirties: 23.1% of men, 13.7% of women
- Forties: 20.5% of men, 10.8% of women
- Fifties: 16.3% of men, 7.0% of women
- Sixties: 11.9% of men, 4.5% of women
The rate drops as people get older for both men and women. (The original source of the numbers wasn’t named on the show.)
Yoko Kawamura, a counselor who specializes in infidelity cases, said that in her experience the real numbers are probably even higher. Matching apps have made it much easier to meet people, she noted, and a lot of those meetings start with everyone knowing the other person is married and with a clear agenda in mind—usually sex.
Married former AKB48 member Minami Minegishi reacted with “For men in their twenties, that’s one in three!” Model and actress Chihiro Kondo looked shocked. Model and mother of three Nozomi Kawasaki pointed out that women are cheating too. Comedienne Naomi Matsushima joked that at those odds, someone in the studio might be doing it right now, which got a nervous laugh.
Minegishi and others noted that people are often upfront about the arrangement these days and meet with a specific, convenient purpose. Kawamura summed it up: the goal is sexual activity, and with apps you can get straight to the point.
Whether the numbers are understated or not, the conversation made one thing clear—cheating among married people, especially younger men, is common enough that even a TV studio full of public figures was taken aback.
