Cruising: A “Kiss of Death” for Japanese Marriages?

The divorce rate is on the rise in Japan, and some marriage counselors say long-term travel by recent retirees is part of the cause. According to a Reuters story, here’s the logic: Japanese men devote long hours to their jobs, essentially living apart from their families. When these “salarymen” retire they take celebratory cruises with their spouses, where, with a lot of time on their hands in a confined space, they find they barely know each other. Divorce ensues. Marriage counselors are calling the phenomenon “retired husband syndrome” and are prescribing day trips as a treatment.

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