As political tensions between China and Japan continue to grow, it becomes ever more important for citizens of both countries to remain level-headed and remember that a nation’s actions do not always reflect the character of its people. Not all Chinese people have a taste for indiscriminate mob violence and not all Japanese people squirt mayonnaise on unsuspecting high school girls.

Luckily, Chinese web portal NetEase has put together an illustrated guide to addresses a number of misconceptions Chinese people have of Japanese people.

A noble initiative, to be sure, but for some reason the guide only touches on misconceptions of Japanese women. Well, as long as they help break down those harmful stereotypes inhibiting international understanding…

Take a look at what kind of cultural insights the diplomats at NetEase are offering their readers below.

Chinese Misconceptions of Japanese Women

■ “Are Japanese women short?”→ NO！Japanese women are taller than Chinese women!

Average height of Japanese women: 162 cm (5’4”)

Average height of Chinese women: 160.1 cm (5’3”)

■ “Are Japanese women flat-chested“ → NO！The average bust size of Japanese women is B-C cup!

A survey of 2350 women across Japan’s 47 prefectures revealed that women in 18 prefectures had an an average bust size of B cup and women in another 17 prefectures had an average of C cup. It can be inferred from this that Japanese women have an average bust size of B-C cup.

■ “Are Japanese women golddiggers?” → NO! Roughly 80% of Japanese women are okay with men of the “three averages.”

19.1% of Japanese women say that when scouting for a marriage partner, they look for men who conform to the “three highs”: high salary, high stature and high academic background. However 78.9% of Japanese women say they are happy with the “three averages”: average salary, average looks and average personality.

■ “Japanese women want to marry Chinese men” → NO! Korean men are the most popular foreign marriage partners among Japanese women.

Number of Japanese women who married foreign men in 2010 ranked by the husband’s nationality:

1. South Korean (1982 couples)
2. American (1329 couples)
3. Chinese (931 couples, includes Taiwan)
■ “Japanese women value family and want to have many children. Few Japanese women stay single their whole lives.” → NO！

・Percentage of Japanese women who remain single their entire life:
1980：4.5%
2010：10.6%

・Average age of Japanese women during birth of first child:
1975: 25
2011: 30.1

・Average number of children per Japanese family:
1940: 4.27
2011: 1.39

■ “Instead of working, Japanese women devote themselves to their husband and children” → NO！60% of Japanese women work!

The percentage of Japanese women working in 2011 is 60%. The female workforce can be divided into the following two categories:

1. Women aged 20-32 who work after completing higher education

2. Women aged 40-50 who work after raising children

However, Japanese women earn less than men. In 2011, the average salary for Japanese women aged 30-34 was 2,990,000 yen, which is 69% lower than men of the same age.

■ “Japanese women work in the porn industry because of some circumstance beyond their control” → NO! In Japan, adult video (AV) actress is a normal job. Even normal women can become one.

The three main reason women become AV actresses are as follows:

・Curiosity
・Hope of becoming famous
・Pays well if you become popular

In 2011, there were an estimated 160,000 Japanese women working as AV actresses. Among them, 120,000 were aged 20-29.

The piece closes with a message of hope: “Looking at the data above, you can tell that we Chinese have really only a superficial understanding of Japan. If we can know the real face of Japan, out attitudes toward the country may change as well.”

You know, NetEase, you’re right. If we can only enlighten the Chinese masses to the true Japan—the Japan brimming with tall, single, ample-bodied porn stars looking to marry an average Min—then maybe we can convince them to set aside their political differences and remember what it is they love about their neighbor to the East.
[ Read in Japanese ]