The thing that always messed me up with relationships in school in Japan is how the class / larger social group would perceive it. There's definitely relationships I didn't pursue because I didn't want to disrupt the harmony of the group as it were. So dating out of group is easier in a way.
I wasn't over there until university, but I think it might be even worse for the younger kids. Everyone is in everyone else's business and no one wants to be the object of gossip or ridicule.
Are dating apps not prevalent there? A major novelty of dating apps is that it allows you to meet people that are completely removed from your social circle, which sounds like it would be pretty useful in Japan.
Dating apps have issues, sure, but those issues have not even come close to stopping people from using them. Dating apps are ubiquitous among those in their early 20s here.
I wasn't over there until university, but I think it might be even worse for the younger kids. Everyone is in everyone else's business and no one wants to be the object of gossip or ridicule.