Of the victims, 13.3 percent said they feared for their life, according to the Cabinet Office survey, which was conducted in October-November last year covering 5,000 adults across Japan. Of the total, 62.6 percent gave replies considered valid.

The survey found 13.6 percent of the women polled said they experienced violence from their boyfriends when they were in their teens to 20s. Of them, 21.9 percent feared for their life.

It found 13.6 percent of married women faced physical and mental abuse from their husbands in the past five years.

Of them, 53.0 percent did not turn to anybody to discuss the problem and 27.6 percent took it to friends or acquaintances. Only around 3 percent consulted with police or a hospital and about 1 percent turned to prefectural help centers, lawyers or private-sector shelters.

Of the women who experienced domestic violence from their husbands, 34.4 percent said they were injured or developed mental disorders.

Injuries or mental disorders were reported by 48.4 percent of the women who experienced violence from boyfriends when they were in their teens or 20s.