PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Phone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: info@menandboys.net
Japan’s Statistics Reveal a Quiet Crisis Facing Men and Boys
January 16, 2026 – Japan’s national data present a clear and consistent picture: men experience significant disadvantages across multiple sectors, and these outcomes remain largely absent from gender-equality discussions.
Education:
Japan’s education data reveal a growing imbalance. Women now represent 51% of first-time entrants to tertiary education (1) and account for over 60% of entrants and 62% of graduates (2). Overall, women are now more highly educated than men, with 59% holding a university degree compared to 52% of men (3).
Health:
Health statistics show a persistent and severe gap. In 2024, women in Japan lived an average of 87.13 years, while men lived just 81.09 years, a difference of more than six years (4). Adult mortality rates reinforce this disparity, with 65.5 deaths per 1,000 adults among men compared to 36.7 per 1,000 among women (5).
Suicide:
Suicide remains a deeply gendered public health crisis. The suicide mortality rate stands at 23.6 per 100,000 for men versus 11.5 for women (6)(7), with men accounting for 70% of all suicides nationwide (8).
Child Custody:
Post-divorce outcomes strongly disadvantage fathers. In Japan, approximately 90% of women receive sole custody after divorce, and about 70% of children experience parent-child disconnection from their non-custodial parent (9).
Homelessness:
While homelessness in Japan is less of a problem than most countries, it remains overwhelmingly male. National estimates identify 3,065 homeless individuals in 2023, representing only 0.002% of the population; 94% are men and 6% are women (12).
Workplace:
Workplace safety data show a gender gap. In 2022, Japan recorded 80,935 male injury cases compared to 51,420 female injury cases across all industries; men accounted for approximately 61%, while women accounted for 39% (13).
Conclusion:
Japan should recognize and address the persistent disadvantages facing men and boys.
The International Council for Men and Boys (ICMB) is a non-governmental organization that is working to celebrate the contributions of men to society and to end the 12 sex disparities that affect men and boys around the world. ICMB has conducted analyses of male disadvantage in over 50 countries around the world. These analyses are available here: https://www.menandboys.net/country/
Links:
1.https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/education-at-a-glance-2025_1a3543e2-en/japan_8f0a8541-en.html
3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan
5.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt?gender=male
6.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.MA.P5?locations=JP
7.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.FE.P5?locations=JP
8.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan
10.https://webfs.oecd.org/Els-com/Affordable_Housing_Database/Country%20notes/Homelessness-JPN.pdf
11.https://www.jisha.or.jp/english/statistics/detail.html?pdid=1662&utm