In the United States, the teenage pregnancy rates are 16 times what they are in Japan. And if you look at Japanese society, the rates of violent crime are much lower than they are in the United States. Just blaming film and television for all these problems is much too simplistic if we look at other cultures. Dr. Suman believes it is because the family structure in Japan is very important. The government has gone out of the way in realizing that an intact family unit is a very important thing to maintain.
Governmental policies foster it.
Tax policies encourage it. University and school acceptance programs encourage it. Children born out of wedlock can have a very difficult time in Japanese society. Schools discriminate against illigitimate children and will refuse acceptance. There continues to be a sense of shame in Japan in looking upon children born out of wedlock.