A survey commissioned to celebrate “Good Husband and Wife Day” in Japan has backfired after less than 30 per cent of the people interviewed said their marriage was “harmonious” while nearly 60 per cent said that, given the choice, would not marry their present spouse again.

Underlining the disharmony in many Japanese marriages, the survey also showed that 76 per cent of wives were unhappy with their husband's behaviour, with nearly 30 per cent complaining their menfolk failed to show sufficient “consideration” towards them.

The study was conducted in October by the Tokyo-based Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co and quizzed 1,620 married people between the ages of 20 and 79.

The company played down the fact that just 29.9 per cent of the people interviewed said their marriage was “harmonious” by claiming that married couples might not have wanted to suggest their relationship was perfect. Those couples replied their marriage was “relatively harmonious”, the company claimed, accounting for 45.4 percent of the total respondents.

The life insurance firm would have found it more difficult to explain away the fact that just 42.6 per cent of people replied that they would definitely or probably marry their same spouse again or the three-quarters of the women taking part who complained about their husbands.