diff --git a/_integration_tests/integration_test.go b/_integration_tests/integration_test.go
index c461d343..c58ecd7b 100644
--- a/_integration_tests/integration_test.go
+++ b/_integration_tests/integration_test.go
@@ -120,6 +120,16 @@ type Multimedialist struct {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestIssue161(t *testing.T) {
+	defer cleanup("./issue161/*")
+	if err := goagen("./issue161", "bootstrap", "-d", "github.com/shogo82148/goa-v1/_integration_tests/issue161/design"); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err.Error())
+	}
+	if err := gobuild("./issue161"); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
 func goagen(dir, command string, args ...string) error {
 	pkg, err := build.Import("github.com/shogo82148/goa-v1/goagen", "", 0)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/_integration_tests/issue161/design/design.go b/_integration_tests/issue161/design/design.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..464b2e93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/_integration_tests/issue161/design/design.go
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+package design
+
+import (
+	. "github.com/shogo82148/goa-v1/design"
+	. "github.com/shogo82148/goa-v1/design/apidsl"
+)
+
+var _ = API("media", func() {
+	Title("An API exercising the DefaultMedia definition")
+	Host("localhost:8080")
+	Scheme("http")
+})
+
+var Author = Type("Author", func() {
+	Attribute("name", String)
+	Attribute("country", String)
+	Required("name")
+})
+
+var Book = Type("Book", func() {
+	Attribute("title", String)
+	Attribute("author", Author)
+})
diff --git a/goagen/codegen/validation.go b/goagen/codegen/validation.go
index aee351bb..fef295bb 100644
--- a/goagen/codegen/validation.go
+++ b/goagen/codegen/validation.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package codegen
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"math"
 	"strings"
@@ -220,44 +219,11 @@ func (v *Validator) recurse(att *design.AttributeDefinition, nonzero, required,
 
 func (v *Validator) recurseAttribute(att, catt *design.AttributeDefinition, n, target, context string, depth int, private bool) string {
 	var validation string
-	if ds, ok := catt.Type.(design.DataStructure); ok {
-		// We need to check empirically whether there are validations to be
-		// generated, we can't just generate and check whether something was
-		// generated to avoid infinite recursions.
-		hasValidations := false
-		done := errors.New("done")
-		ds.Walk(func(a *design.AttributeDefinition) error {
-			if a.Validation != nil {
-				if private {
-					hasValidations = true
-					return done
-				}
-				// For public data structures there is a case where
-				// there is validation but no actual validation
-				// code: if the validation is a required validation
-				// that applies to attributes that cannot be nil or
-				// empty string i.e. primitive types other than
-				// string.
-				if !a.Validation.HasRequiredOnly() {
-					hasValidations = true
-					return done
-				}
-				for _, name := range a.Validation.Required {
-					att := a.Type.ToObject()[name]
-					if att != nil && (!att.Type.IsPrimitive() || att.Type.Kind() == design.StringKind) {
-						hasValidations = true
-						return done
-					}
-				}
-			}
-			return nil
+	if _, ok := catt.Type.(design.DataStructure); ok {
+		validation = RunTemplate(v.userValT, map[string]interface{}{
+			"depth":  depth,
+			"target": fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", target, GoifyAtt(catt, n, true)),
 		})
-		if hasValidations {
-			validation = RunTemplate(v.userValT, map[string]interface{}{
-				"depth":  depth,
-				"target": fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", target, GoifyAtt(catt, n, true)),
-			})
-		}
 	} else {
 		dp := depth
 		if catt.Type.IsObject() {
diff --git a/goagen/codegen/validation_test.go b/goagen/codegen/validation_test.go
index 9339f9c9..b279ec13 100644
--- a/goagen/codegen/validation_test.go
+++ b/goagen/codegen/validation_test.go
@@ -442,7 +442,16 @@ const (
 
 	utCode = `	if val.Foo == nil {
 		err = goa.MergeErrors(err, goa.MissingAttributeError(` + "`context`" + `, "foo"))
+	}
+	if val.Foo2 != nil {
+	if err2 := val.Foo2.Validate(); err2 != nil {
+		err = goa.MergeErrors(err, err2)
+	}
 	}`
 
-	utRequiredCode = ``
+	utRequiredCode = `	if val.Foo2 != nil {
+	if err2 := val.Foo2.Validate(); err2 != nil {
+		err = goa.MergeErrors(err, err2)
+	}
+	}`
 )
diff --git a/goagen/gen_app/writers.go b/goagen/gen_app/writers.go
index 4aca9aef..49f035f8 100644
--- a/goagen/gen_app/writers.go
+++ b/goagen/gen_app/writers.go
@@ -891,23 +891,24 @@ func {{ .Name }}Href({{ if .CanonicalParams }}{{ join .CanonicalParams ", " }} i
 // Identifier: {{ .Identifier }}{{ $typeName := gotypename . .AllRequired 0 false }}
 type {{ $typeName }} {{ gotypedef . 0 true false }}
 
-{{ $validation := validationCode .AttributeDefinition false false false "mt" "response" 1 false }}{{ if $validation }}// Validate validates the {{$typeName}} media type instance.
+{{ $validation := validationCode .AttributeDefinition false false false "mt" "response" 1 false -}}
+// Validate validates the {{$typeName}} media type instance.
 func (mt {{ gotyperef . .AllRequired 0 false }}) Validate() (err error) {
 {{ $validation }}
 	return
 }
-{{ end }}
 `
 
 	// mediaTypeLinkT generates the code for a media type link.
 	// template input: MediaTypeLinkTemplateData
 	mediaTypeLinkT = `// {{ gotypedesc . true }}{{ $typeName := gotypename . .AllRequired 0 false }}
 type {{ $typeName }} {{ gotypedef . 0 true false }}
-{{ $validation := validationCode .AttributeDefinition false false false "ut" "response" 1 false }}{{ if $validation }}// Validate validates the {{$typeName}} type instance.
+{{ $validation := validationCode .AttributeDefinition false false false "ut" "response" 1 false -}}
+// Validate validates the {{$typeName}} type instance.
 func (ut {{ gotyperef . .AllRequired 0 false }}) Validate() (err error) {
 {{ $validation }}
 	return
-}{{ end }}
+}
 `
 
 	// userTypeT generates the code for a user type.
@@ -918,11 +919,12 @@ type {{ $privateTypeName }} {{ gotypedef . 0 true true }}
 func (ut {{ gotyperef . .AllRequired 0 true }}) Finalize() {
 {{ $assignment }}
 }{{ end }}
-{{ $validation := validationCode .AttributeDefinition false false false "ut" "request" 1 true }}{{ if $validation }}// Validate validates the {{$privateTypeName}} type instance.
+{{ $validation := validationCode .AttributeDefinition false false false "ut" "request" 1 true -}}
+// Validate validates the {{$privateTypeName}} type instance.
 func (ut {{ gotyperef . .AllRequired 0 true }}) Validate() (err error) {
 {{ $validation }}
 	return
-}{{ end }}
+}
 {{ $typeName := gotypename . .AllRequired 0 false }}
 // Publicize creates {{ $typeName }} from {{ $privateTypeName }}
 func (ut {{ gotyperef . .AllRequired 0 true }}) Publicize() {{ gotyperef . .AllRequired 0 false }} {
@@ -933,11 +935,12 @@ func (ut {{ gotyperef . .AllRequired 0 true }}) Publicize() {{ gotyperef . .AllR
 
 // {{ gotypedesc . true }}
 type {{ $typeName }} {{ gotypedef . 0 true false }}
-{{ $validation := validationCode .AttributeDefinition false false false "ut" "type" 1 false }}{{ if $validation }}// Validate validates the {{$typeName}} type instance.
+{{ $validation := validationCode .AttributeDefinition false false false "ut" "type" 1 false }}
+// Validate validates the {{$typeName}} type instance.
 func (ut {{ gotyperef . .AllRequired 0 false }}) Validate() (err error) {
 {{ $validation }}
 	return
-}{{ end }}
+}
 `
 
 	// securitySchemesT generates the code for the security module.
diff --git a/goagen/gen_app/writers_test.go b/goagen/gen_app/writers_test.go
index dcfcedd0..e1b4518e 100644
--- a/goagen/gen_app/writers_test.go
+++ b/goagen/gen_app/writers_test.go
@@ -2710,7 +2710,11 @@ type simplePayload struct {
 	Name *string ` + "`" + `form:"name,omitempty" json:"name,omitempty" yaml:"name,omitempty" xml:"name,omitempty"` + "`" + `
 }
 
+// Validate validates the simplePayload type instance.
+func (ut *simplePayload) Validate() (err error) {
 
+	return
+}
 
 // Publicize creates SimplePayload from simplePayload
 func (ut *simplePayload) Publicize() *SimplePayload {
@@ -2725,6 +2729,12 @@ func (ut *simplePayload) Publicize() *SimplePayload {
 type SimplePayload struct {
 	Name *string ` + "`" + `form:"name,omitempty" json:"name,omitempty" yaml:"name,omitempty" xml:"name,omitempty"` + "`" + `
 }
+
+// Validate validates the SimplePayload type instance.
+func (ut *SimplePayload) Validate() (err error) {
+
+	return
+}
 `
 
 	userTypeIncludingHash = `// complexPayload user type.
@@ -2733,7 +2743,11 @@ type complexPayload struct {
 	Name *string ` + "`" + `form:"name,omitempty" json:"name,omitempty" yaml:"name,omitempty" xml:"name,omitempty"` + "`" + `
 }
 
+// Validate validates the complexPayload type instance.
+func (ut *complexPayload) Validate() (err error) {
 
+	return
+}
 
 // Publicize creates ComplexPayload from complexPayload
 func (ut *complexPayload) Publicize() *ComplexPayload {
@@ -2760,5 +2774,11 @@ type ComplexPayload struct {
 	Misc map[int]*MiscPayload ` + "`" + `form:"misc,omitempty" json:"misc,omitempty" yaml:"misc,omitempty" xml:"misc,omitempty"` + "`" + `
 	Name *string ` + "`" + `form:"name,omitempty" json:"name,omitempty" yaml:"name,omitempty" xml:"name,omitempty"` + "`" + `
 }
+
+// Validate validates the ComplexPayload type instance.
+func (ut *ComplexPayload) Validate() (err error) {
+
+	return
+}
 `
 )