Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

$

A stat about sex that might shock you

By Katie Sanders
June 24, 2015

Aziz Ansari departs from the usual comedian slapstick in his first book, Modern Romance, teaming up with a sociologist and traveling overseas to examine the science of how people date in the Internet-at-your-fingertips age.

The academic effort intrigued The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart during his June 16 interview with Ansari. Stewart asked his former Daily Show intern if he learned anything shocking during his time reporting for the book.

Ansari zeroed in on how dating culture in Japan wasn’t what he expected.

“Well, when we went to Japan, I definitely had this thought of like, ‘Oh, that’s, like, such a technologically advanced culture, they’re probably like on the cutting edge of whatever online dating or apps. And then you get there and you realize, I read all these articles, there’s like a crisis there,” he said. “And like there was some insane statistic, like, 46 percent of women between the age of 16 to 24 despise sexual contact. And 25 percent of the guys in that same age.

“Despise. Despise. Like, that is like, an aggressive word.”

Ansari’s claim about nearly half of Japanese young women not being interested in sex also struck us as incredibly high, so we decided to check it out.

Find out if Ansari has his facts straight here.

Our Sources

See individual fact-check.

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Katie Sanders
Sharon Day
stated on July 19, 2016 in a speech at the Republican convention:
As a senator, Hillary Clinton “paid women less than the men” in her office.
Mostly False
Bernie Sanders
stated on January 19, 2016 in a town hall in Underwood, Iowa:
“I have a D-minus voting record from the NRA.”
Mostly True

A stat about sex that might shock you


Roger Marshall
stated on October 16, 2026 in an interview with Sean Hannity:





Mike Collins
stated on October 13, 2026 in in a debate:




Mariannette Miller-Meeks
stated on October 2, 2026 in a Facebook post:







Phil Berger
stated on October 7, 2026 in comments:

Zach Nunn
stated on September 8, 2026 in a social media post: