Some people in Japan are choosing to marry friends that they have no romantic relationship with as an alternative to traditional marriage. "Friendship marriages" in Japan sometimes involve living together, spending time together, and having children, though none of those things are required or expected.
According to The South China Morning Post, people who choose to enter this type of partnership will decide who does which chores and whether or not they can explore other romantic connections prior to getting married. Depending on what the couple agrees upon, they might seem more like roommates than traditional romantic partners, and for many of them, that works.
More from LittleThings: One Married Couple's Secret To Happiness? Living In Separate Apartments
Colorus, an agency specializing in friendship marriages, told the outlet that many of these couples end up having children and are happy in their relationships even though they're not exactly traditional. There are multiple reasons why this type of arrangement could be beneficial.
The agency told The South China Morning Post that friendship marriages offer tax benefits to couples (in the same way that a traditional marriage would). Because there is still a lot of societal pressure to get married and have children in Japan, some people are choosing "friendship marriage" over traditional marriage as a way to appease their families.
Additionally, friendship marriage was presented as an option for people who identify as queer because same-sex marriage isn't legal in Japan. Friendship marriages have also worked well for some people who identify as asexual because sex is not an expectation in this type of relationship, according to the outlet.
More from LittleThings: Vanna White's Daughter Looks Just Like Her In Rare Photo Shared To Celebrate Her Birthday
A source told the outlet that they decided that friendship marriage might work for them because they "only wanted someone with similar tastes to do things we both enjoy, to chat and laugh with."
