A japanese guy is courting me. But my friends were telling me that Japanese are generally polygamous. Japanese culture, they say, allows concubines. They can have only one wife, but they can maintain other women and even have them stay in their house. Is this true?
2007-03-21 15:20:56 · 10 answers · asked by Siren Suzzy 2 in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Japan
There was a Japanese prime minister who resigned simply because of the gossip that he had a mistress. I guess, this tells enough that Japanese society do not tolerate concubines. Japanese laws also do not allow bigamous marriages. This implies that Japanese culture is monogamous. How about Japanese men having concubines or other women? Well, culturally speaking, Japanese society is male-dominated and would want that. But still, women would not like it. That is why, Japan has divorce. So, it wont be possible for a legal wife and other women stay in the same house.
2007-03-23 15:13:15 · answer #1 · answered by Ernesto 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I think your friends have been watching too much TV. That couldn't be further from the truth. This is of course speaking of modern times. Before I came to Japan back in 1990, I had heard that Japanese wives encourage their husbands to have affairs, especially when the husband it transferred away from home for years on end. There may have been some truth to what your friends are saying, but not to the extent to which they are saying it. As far as I know, Japanese culture never openly allowed concubines. The feudal lords may have had what one might consider a concubine(s), but it never became an accepted part of society. People just turned a blind eye because if they spoke against their leader, there would be consequences. Also, that is not to say that the people approved.
Infidelity is infidelity either way you turn it.
2007-03-22 14:11:37 · answer #2 · answered by Looking for the truth... 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Honey, *many* men, no matter what their genetic background, would like you to believe they are allowed to be polygamous. The French are probably just as polygamous as the Japanese.
No, concubines are not allowed (although some right-wingers would like to make concubines OK for the royal family because they feel poor Princess Masako isn't being a good little baby-making-machine). But many Japanese men (like any men) feel that a mistress or a girlfriend is a good thing to have. Women don't like this at all!
MY husband is an old-fashioned kind of guy, and while he flirts with girls mildly, I don't think he'd ever cheat on me.
The only way to find out is to discuss this with your boyfriend, and find out how he feels. (-: If he is polygamous, he might be scared into monogamy! But to tell the truth, there are cheating flea-bags of every race, sex and religion! Japanese law doesn't condone this behavior.
2007-03-21 16:34:51 · answer #3 · answered by Madame M 7 · 5⤊ 2⤋
The answer is NO Japanese men are no more polygamous then any other country. Japanese culture does not allow concubines and I have never heard of a mistress staying under the same roof, but there is a culture here that is more forgiving if the husband strays. I have lived here (Japan) for 15 years and I have not seen a larger proportion of Adultry among my friends here then I did in the states.
2007-03-21 16:05:21 · answer #4 · answered by C-Ray 3 · 8⤊ 0⤋
I guess it could be true for any race. The Japanese aren't the only people who have affairs. And not all Japanese men are unfaithful. I think it is just that they have a lot of chances to be unfaithful due to business traveling and such. And no woman in their right mind would allow her husbands mistress to live at her house. Most of what your friends said isn't true. Even if Japanese men are more likely to have mistresses, they have to keep it just as secret as any other man. And the women aren't excessively stupid or passive or anything, so I assume if they found out that their husband was cheating, they'd give him the boot, not invite the mistress to live with them.
2007-03-22 05:03:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not really the whole story. It is all on the DL. Yes it does happen, and they are a kinky lot. BUT, even a prime minister has resigned in the past 25 years for being found to have a mistress. It is all done very discreetly which means they don't live together, wives and mistresses.
2007-03-21 15:26:48 · answer #6 · answered by justbeingher 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
not just japanese men are polygamous.Men of other races are also polygamous.
2007-03-21 15:29:07 · answer #7 · answered by kbraner 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
you cant categorize person by his nationality...look at your fingers is it all the same?think about it
2007-03-21 15:55:54 · answer #8 · answered by tisya 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no its not true. that was ages ago.
http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/concubin.html
2007-03-21 16:35:27 · answer #9 · answered by OOO LA LA 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
LOL that is ridiculous.
2007-03-21 15:36:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋