Jetro: Training and Matchmaking to Japanese Startups

We keep our costs low and pass the savings on to our customers. So, even though our fees are much lower than those of most marriage agencies, your chances of success with TMA are much better. TMA has both free and paid services available.

More and more Japanese parents are attending matchmaking parties in an effort to marry off their children, worried that they will be part of the growing segment.

According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research , in it was estimated that around 6. The practice of miai emerged in 16th century Japan among the samurai class to form and protect strong military alliances among warlords to ensure mutual support. It became the practice for those seeking a union between families and parents on both sides made all the decision regarding marriage. Miai was a solemn practice and involved considerations that are not given as much weight by most modern Japanese people , such as family bloodlines and class.

This type of miai is usually seen portrayed in films and television dramas. After the Pacific War , the trend was to abandon the restrictive arranged-meetings system. Modern forms of miai are still practiced in Japan today, although they are no longer as prevalent as they were in the pre-Meiji era. There are accounts that reveal how parents pressure their unmarried children into arranged meetings that eventually lead to marriages particularly those who would assume family responsibilities such as those inheriting family business.

The participants in a miai process include the candidates who are to potentially be married and the families of these candidates. However, miai can take place without any involvement of the prospective couple’s families. Professional organizations have begun to provide go-between services for inquiring candidates. The second role is as a liaison for the families to avoid direct confrontation and differences in opinions between them by serving as an intermediary for working out the details of the marriage.