Japanese Boyfriend Pillow

The latest news from crazy Japan is a Boyfriend pillow, targeting single women and their need for a partner to "cuddle up to".

Japan is a land of wonders but also of rapid change and ensuing alienation. The marriage rate has dropped and the birth rate has plummeted. Sex toys are so advanced that many men report not being able to ejaculate in human vaginas any more.

Therefore, the launch of the “Boyfriend’s Arm Pillow” should not surprise, since women have unmet needs as well.

Shaped like a man's torso with one sturdy arm, has been on sale since December and has so far been snapped up by 1,000 singles. Manufacturer Kameo said the pillow's shape also keeps the body balanced. One woman, Junko Suzuki, told AP: "It makes me relaxed... I can hold the arm and feel something warm at my side". The pillow is only available in Japan, where it costs about 8,500 Yen (£40, $80), and is available in blue, pink or green. Ms Suzuki, who is separated from her husband, says the pillow has other advantages. "It keeps holding me all the way through. I think this is great because this does not betray me," she told AP.

Child rearing is a problem, as people work for too long:

Japanese Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa visited the city of Matsue to talk to party members about the falling birth rate. Arresting the decline would be difficult, he said, because "the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed". "All we can ask for is for them to do their best per head," he said.

Such comments are bound to create a stir. The following, however, are not:

According to a lifestyle survey in 2001, married men only spent about 30 minutes each day on household tasks or with their children. This is partly down to traditional attitudes - Japanese men tend not to cook, clean or change nappies. But another problem is a culture of long working hours, followed by compulsory after-work socialising. "My colleague's wife has just had a baby, but he has to work until 11 o'clock every night," said one Tokyo businessman. "He only ever sees the baby when it's asleep."

Dr Inoguchi says the government needs to spend more on helping young families. But she says there also needs to be social change so that both men and women have a better balance between work and family. And the population crisis is helping to highlight where the problems lie. "This very dramatic changing demography and the alarming view that we may not be able to sustain the greying of the population is now leading to - belatedly and reluctantly - the mainstreaming of gender issues," she said.

Have a cuddly new year!

Sources / More info: bbc-pillow, bbc-wed, bbc-confessions, bbc-births, bbc-demography, bbc-kyoto-geisha, bbc-osaka-homeless, yt-japan-tv

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