http://www.businessinsider.com/herbivore-men-in-japan-are-not-having-sex-8-15
'Herbivore men' are why nobody's having sex in Japan
Only 1.001 million babies were born in Japan in 2014 - - and .
It's notoriously hard to measure. A, though some critics think that's because of . The country's notoriously long work hours (think ) appear to also have an effect on sexuality; over 20% of the married men in the Japan Times study said they weren't interested in sex because they were too tired from work.
But on the other hand, the 'herbivorization' may also represents a revolution of identity politics in the island country.
tokyoform / flickr
Herbivore men "have some feelings of revulsion towards the older generation," Fukasawa said in another interview. "They don't want to have the same lives. And the impact of the herbivores on the economy is very big. They're such big news now because sales are down, especially of status products like cars and alcohol."
And as with all good buzzwords, the 'herbivore' terminology has given rise to an entire range of heterosexual identificaties.
Japan Times blogger Rebecca Milner supplies a taxonomy:
nikushoku-kei danshi (肉食系男子; carnivore guys): Classic macho guys who go after what - and who - they want.sōshoku-kei danshi (草食系男子; herbivore guys): Shy guys who don't make a move; prey for the growing number of nikushoku-kei josei (carnivore girls).roru kyabetsu danshi (ロールキャベツ男子; roll cabbage guys): Guys who appear to be herbivores but are actually carnivore to the core; named for the classic yōshoku (Japanese-style western food) dish of cooked cabbage stuffed with meat.asupara bēkon-maki danshi (アスパラベーコン巻き男子; bacon-wrapped asparagus guys): Guys who come across as carnivores but later reveal themselves to be herbivores; named for the yakitori dish.zasshoku-kei danshi (雑食系男子; omnivorous guys): Guys who will go with whatever works.zesshoku-kei danshi (絶食系男子; fasting guys): Guys with zero interest in women.
But here's the thing.
While this may be imprinting Western ideals on Japanese culture, it does seem that all these herbivores serve a long-term good.
If we hold that people should be able to express their sexual orientation in the ways that they identify as - opposite-sex or same-sex, sexual or asexual - then the rise of the herbivores is progress, a liberalization from the strictness of hypermasculine 'salarymen' that have been conferred alpha status in Japan since World War II.
Identity progress is slow-going in Japan. It's a country that is just beginning to have a national LGBTQ conversation, and it went into a racist tizzy about Miss Universe Japan 2015, who is biracial.
So while 'herbivorization' might be a problem for getting the birthrate up, it's the start of an answer as far as gender and sexuality are concerned.