More Korean men travel to Japan for matchmaking, TBS reports
‘Marriage with Japanese women seen as way to ease male financial burden’
Ha, right, a South Korean man who traveled to Japan in search of a spouse, goes on a matchmaking date with a Japanese woman at a café. Captured from TBS Japan’s YouTube channel
The number of South Korean men traveling to Japan to go on formal matchmaking dates, known as omiai, with the intention of marrying Japanese women is rapidly increasing, according to a report by Japan’s TBS on Thursday.
The broadcaster attributed this trend to the high financial burden Korean men face when marrying domestically, such as the expectation to provide housing. These pressures are reportedly prompting more Korean men to seek Japanese partners, who are perceived to have more egalitarian views on sharing financial responsibilities.
TBS highlighted the case of a 35-year-old Korean man surnamed Ha, who joined a Japanese marriage counseling agency and traveled to Japan for matchmaking. Ha reportedly learned Japanese specifically for this purpose and arranged a date at a trendy matcha café popular among local women.
Ha spent over 1 million yen ($7,000) on counseling registration fees, travel expenses and preparation for his trip.
Ha cited financial reasons as the main motivation for seeking a Japanese spouse. “In Korea, it is taken for granted that men must prepare a home before getting married. If I want to buy a house without a loan, I would have to wait until I’m 40,” he said, according to TBS. He believes that marrying a Japanese woman would mean far less financial pressure.
During the broadcast, a representative from a Japanese international marriage agency revealed that they have received approximately 8,000 matchmaking requests from Korean men. The agency said, “These Korean men have essentially given up on getting married in Korea. Japanese women tend to approach financial matters in marriage with a ‘let’s work together’ mindset.”
TBS added that this phenomenon may continue to grow, noting an increasing number of Japanese women are open to marrying Korean men. Misae Sasano, a senior lecturer at Ibaraki University, told the broadcaster, “Many young Japanese women have been exposed to Korean culture and films since childhood, and often see Korea as a sparkling, stylish country.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.