This study aimed to examine trends in frequency of sexual intercourse and sexual function among Japanese men over the past 30 years by comparing the Nationwide Survey conducted by the Japanese Society for Sexual Medicine in 2023 with the Sapporo Survey conducted by the Department of Urology, Sapporo Medical University, in 1991.
Three domains were analyzed: sexual intercourse, penile rigidity, and morning erections in both studies. To minimize inconsistencies, definitions were standardized. The 2023 survey included 3795 men aged 20-79 years, while the 1991 survey comprised 8893 participants for sexual intercourse, 7517 for morning erections, and 3886 for penile rigidity. Case numbers differed by item in 1991 owing to incomplete responses. The 1991 survey targeted only married individuals; comparable analyses were performed using married participants extracted from the 2023 dataset.
1. Sexual intercourse: Compared with the 1991 Sapporo Survey, the proportion of men reporting sexual intercourse less than once per month was significantly higher across all age groups in the 2023 Nationwide Survey, except among men in their 20s. 2. Penile rigidity: The proportion of men with insufficient penile rigidity for penetration was significantly higher in 2023 than in 1991 across all age groups except those aged ≥ 75 years. 3. Morning erections: Men reporting complete absence of morning erections were significantly more common in 2023 across all age groups.
Over the past three decades, Japanese men have shown substantial declines in the frequency of sexual intercourse, penile rigidity, and the frequency of morning erections, particularly in younger and middle-aged cohorts.
International journal of urology : official journal of the Japanese Urological Association. 2026 Jan [Epub]
Yoshikazu Sato, Akira Tsujimura, Masato Shirai, Haruaki Sasaki, Ko Kobayashi, Hiroki Horita, Aoki Masaharu, Nobukazu Suzuki, Shinichi Hisasue, Shinichiro Fukuhara, Koji Chiba, Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa, Hikaru Tomoe, Kazunori Kimura, Eiji Kikuchi, Eri Maeda, Atsushi Nagai, Koichi Nagao, Taiji Tsukamoto, Naoya Masumori
Department of Urology, Sanjukai Urological Hospital, Sapporo, Japan., Department of Urology, Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, Urayasu, Japan., Department of Urology, Showa Medical University Fujigaoka Hospital, Yokohama, Japan., Department of Urology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan., Department of Urology, Saiseikai Otaru Hospital, Otaru, Japan., Department of Urology, Kushiro Neurosurgical Hospital, Kushiro, Japan., Department of Urology, Teine Urological Clinic, Sapporo, Japan., Department of Urology, Keiyukai Sapporo Hospital, Sapporo, Japan., Department of Urology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan., Department of Urology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan., Department of Urology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan., Department of Urology, Sayama Sougou Clinic, Saitama, Japan., Department of Hospital Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan., Department of Urology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan., Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan., Management Department of Kawasaki Medical School Hospital, Kurashiki, Japan., Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.