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An anecdote about two sexual minorities in Japan choosing a 'friendship marriage' is drawing attention. They are not sexually attracted to each other and, naturally, have no romantic feelings. So why did they decide to live together as a married couple for life?

On the 19th (local time), Japanese personal finance media outlet 'The Gold Online' introduced the story of a 'friendship' couple in their 30s who are sexual minorities. They participated in the interview under the pseudonyms Minato and Satsuki. The specific gender identities (male or female) of the two were not disclosed.

One is bisexual and the other is asexual. Minato has experience dating both women and men, while Satsuki reportedly does not feel sexual desire toward others. As a result, they are legally married but have never had a sexual relationship.

The reason they chose friendship marriage was reportedly due to pressure from both families to get married. Satsuki said, "My mother kept asking if there was someone good for me and pressured me to get married," adding, "I just wanted to silence my family's demands as quickly as possible."

The background for the two, who were suffering from family and relative pressure, deciding on a friendship marriage was a popular drama. It was the 2016 TBS drama "We Married as a Job!" The drama depicted a single office worker and an unemployed woman entering into a 'contract marriage' and living together, which became a near-syndrome level hit in Japan at the time.

The 2016 Japanese drama "Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu" (We Married as a Contract) portrays the story of a man and a woman who marry strictly based on a contractual agreement. Captured from an online community.

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Minato and Satsuki were inspired by the contract marriage in the drama. The two met on an online forum and agreed to marry. Their married life is reportedly very harmonious. They said, "Since we have no demands or expectations of each other, there is nothing to fight about, and we can just live our own lives as usual."

Meanwhile, in Japan, more people are seeking 'friendship marriage' like the Minato-Satsuki couple. Japanese friendship marriage agency 'Colorus' analyzed that about 1% of the total population of 124 million are considering friendship marriage. Colorus, Japan's first agency specializing in friendship marriage, was founded in March 2015 and now has about 500 members.

Friendship marriage, unlike conventional marriage, refers to a relationship where people live together based on shared interests and values. They do not pursue romantic love or sexual relationships as a couple. However, there are cases where they have children through artificial insemination. The Minato-Satsuki couple is also known to have children.

Colorus emphasizes, "Friendship marriages can sometimes end in divorce," but also highlights, "The advantage is that couples can enjoy policy benefits and a companion relationship."

In particular, friendship marriages are reported to be popular among asexual and homosexual individuals. According to Colorus, the average age of those seeking friendship marriages is 32.5 years, 85% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and their income is said to exceed the national average.