Is my Japanese boyfriend in love with me or not?

Emanuelle writes, “I am a 16 years old French girl. I have been friend with a Japanese 16 years old for more than 6 months now. We have met each other on Facebook. He had a girlfriend and he left her because she was unfaithful. Then he started telling me sweet words. He said he likes me several times, but it never came to the word “love”. Few weeks ago he called me “my best friend” and he stopped talking to me as much as before. However, the few times we talked after it he kept telling sweet words which made me doubt of our friendship. I don’t know what I should think about our relationship and I don’t dare to ask him about our it because if I am mistaking about it, he might be hurt. Given that Japanese relationships are complicated I wish that you who knows more about it could give me your point of view about it.”

You have definitely guessed it right; Japanese relationships are complicated.  And if you have not realized it yet, Facebook relationships are generally meaningless especially if you are separated by a distance of thousands of kilometers.  Basically, he is entertaining himself by flirting with you online. 

Since both of you are still teens with such huge distance separating you, I suggest that you do not take it so seriously and just treat it as an avenue to learning more about each other.  Do not push him to answer exactly what your relationship is like but just go with the flow.  If something serious were to come out of it, maybe a few years later, you can build on it.