They all themselves Herbivore men, and they shun marriage or the concept of a sexual relationship with anyone. They are generally described as frugal and very interested in personal grooming. As of September 2010, 36% of Japanese men between the ages of 16 and 19 declared that they were Herbivore men. Two surveys of single men in their 20s and 30s found that 61% and 70% respectively considered themselves Herbivore men.
This social phenomenon is considered the by the Japanese government to be the source of the country’s declining birthrate. Thus, the government is providing incents for couples to have children, including payouts and free health care. However, the increasing prevalence of Herbivore men is doing wonders for the cosmetics and candy industry. It could be that not all of these men are asexual, but rather of a sexual orientation that is not heterosexuality.
In their country, it may be easier to declare that they have no sex drive than to admit that they are men who wants to have sex with people who are not women. According the Herbivore men themselves, they are “not without romantic relationships but have a non-assertive, indifferent attitude towards desire of flesh.” Some philosophers define them as “the nice guys of a new generation who do not aggressively seek meat, but instead prefer to eat grass side by side with the opposite gender.”