"No Dating Eligibility if Men Exceed 80kg and Women 60kg"… Controversy Over Japanese Government Announcement Materials

'Men must weigh under 80kg, women under 60kg to qualify for dating' and other related content included

Central hall of a train station in Tokyo, Japan.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Wooseok] Controversy has arisen over materials published by a research group organized by the Japanese government, which reportedly contain content that could promote appearance-based discrimination and dating violence.

According to the Japanese edition of the Huffington Post on the 14th (local time), the research group on family and marriage, composed of university professors selected by the Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office of Japan, recently released a booklet titled "The Role of Romance in the Era of a Prosperous and Happy 100-Year Life."

The 30-page booklet includes statements such as "The better looking or more beautiful both men and women are, the richer their dating experience," and "Men over 80 kg and women over 60 kg no longer qualify to date." These remarks have sparked ongoing controversy over whether they promote appearance-based discrimination.

The materials also contain expressions that could encourage dating violence. It states that "dating support should be provided to involuntary singles who have not had many dating opportunities," and lists methods such as "wall hitting (pushing the partner against the wall and strongly hitting the wall with one's hand)" and "practicing how to properly propose."

A Cabinet Office official explained regarding the controversial content, "We recognize that personal decisions such as love and marriage should not be assigned specific values, and the research group will collectively review the materials to avoid misleading readers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.