By Tom Miller — Written on Dec 26, 2007
We’ve mentioned a few of these stories about Japanese men trying to save their marriage in the past. And finally, the Cable News Network has gotten on board. (Check out our Dishes on Japanese men trying to save their marriages: Japanese men get more affectionate and 40% of Japanese couples speak to each other less than 30 minutes per day). Anyway, the story goes that Japanese women are now getting a fairer (is that really a friggin’ word?) shake in divorce settlements. The biggest piece of the pie is the pension. Though careers are a little more mobile than in the past, the stereotype of the loyal Japanese salaryman is still around. You know the salaryman, the guy that takes a job out of college at the bottom, keeps his head down, works long hours, remains loyal to his kieretsu*, goes to strip clubs on the weekend, occasionally visits a ‘Love Hotel**,’ and basically gets taken care of for his retired years. Basically, it was one step removed from the Feudal system.
So, now the average Japanese dude has more to fear. In addition to Avian flu, an aggressive North Korean dictator, an aging population, and Godzilla, he has to worry that his wife may up and leave with half his stuff. It would take a giant robot to do anything about Godzilla or Kim Jong Il, some sort of super anti-biotic to combat bird flu, and a relaxed immigration policy to do anything about the population shift. But it doesn’t take Pokemon (or Akira) to save a marriage. It takes compromise. According to a group called the National Chauvinistic Husbands Association. These guys have three main rules:
• Thank you (say it without hesitation)
• I am sorry (say it without fear)
• I love you (say it without embarrassment)
Sounds reasonable. Check out the CNN article below for the 10 ranks of being a good husband. Pretty brilliant.
*Keiretsu: sprawling series of interconnected businesses. Unique to Japan.
**Love Hotel: fancy euphemism for brothel