National Chauvinist Husbands Association

The National Chauvinist Husbands Association of Japan has recruited 4,300 members and ranks them on a scale of 1 to 10.

A “1” man is a well-meaning but clueless guy who has done little more than show up at a group meeting.

A “10” husband, is one who is able to show his wife, through his daily behavior, that he truly loves her -- and even manages to spit out the words, "I love you."

So far, the husbands’ association has unearthed only one “10” husband. He is Mr. Itahashi, 66, president of a concrete company. He had to come a long way to be as high up on the scale as a number “10”!

Mr. Itahashi joined the husbands’ association five years ago, but kept it a secret from his wife for a year, as he quietly taught himself to pay more attention to her. For almost all of his 38 year marriage, he had behaved coldly and selfishly towards his wife.

“I never said I was sorry,” he said. When I came home from work, I would say, ‘I want to eat dinner; I want a bath; I want to go to bed’, and I had no time to talk to my wife.”

To her surprise one night Mr. Itahashi took his wife out for a special dinner, and for the first time in his life, confessed to her the details of his misbehavior.

Fearing divorce, some Japanese men are now learning to say, “I love you”. To help them the men of the husbands’ association chant their slogan in unison: “Say, 'thank you' without hesitating. Say, 'sorry' without being scared. Say, 'I love you' without being shy.”

“Japan is a peaceful country, but the household is at war,” Mr. Itahashi said. Two years ago, he did something new -- he bought his wife a birthday present.

“Up until my 60th birthday, he had not given me anything at all,” Mrs. Itahashi said. “But on my 60th, he sent me 60 roses.” She is heartened that her husband is trying to make amends for the decades he ignored her.

source is an unknown newspaper article