[2] It is claimed to be a condition where a woman begins to exhibit signs of physical illness and depression as her husband reaches, or approaches, retirement.
[2] The following are some of the common symptoms of RHS:[2] This syndrome was identified and coined by Nobuo Kurokawa[2] and first appeared in a presentation of his to the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine in 1991.
[3] This can be a particularly stressful experience for the woman who, as society dictated in her youth, is expected to attend to her husband's every need and can find this a very large demand indeed.
[2] Despite this, the divorce rate among older Japanese couples has soared in recent decades, as more of the baby boomer population have retired, increasing by 26.5% in 10 years according to the health ministry.
[2][3] Marco Bertoni and Giorgio Brunello of the University of Padova published a discussion paper in July 2014 based on empirical research in Japan.