Pay Japan No Mind. It's Obviously Just Crying for Attention

The sexless marriage is one of the several reasons why experts fear Japan is on the verge of a demographic disaster....

The 200 women a year who seek help at a clinic in the Tokyo suburbs have not had sex with their husbands in up to 20 years, and some never, according to Kim Myong-gan, who runs the clinic....

Mr. Kim's short-term solution is unconventional. After an initial 20,000 yen counseling session, he produces photographs of 45 men, mostly professionals in their 40s, with whom the women are invited to go on dates and then, in almost all cases, arrange regular assignations in hotel rooms.

Mr. Kim dismisses charges that this service was little more than a male prostitution ring. "The men volunteer and pay half the hotel and restaurant bills, so legally there is absolutely nothing wrong with it," he said.

But, surely, he can see why everyone's confused.

As usual, my reaction is bewilderment, and I'm shaking my head, just as before.