Collaboration among psychological researchers, the government, and non-profit organizations for "Konkatsu" (marriage hunting) in Japan

Takashi Nishimura; Toshihiko Souma; Mie Kito; Junichi Taniguchi; Yuji Kanemasa; Junko Yamada; Yuki Miyagawa

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.982102

Collaboration among psychological researchers, the government, and non-profit organizations for "Konkatsu" (marriage hunting) in Japan

Front Psychol. 2022 Sep 20:13:982102. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.982102. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Takashi Nishimura¹, Toshihiko Souma², Mie Kito³, Junichi Taniguchi⁴, Yuji Kanemasa⁵, Junko Yamada^{6

7}, Yuki Miyagawa⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Hiroshima International University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan.
² Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
³ Department of Sociology, Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴ Department of Psycology, Tezukayama University, Nara, Japan.
⁵ Faculty of Psychology, Otemon Gakuin University, Ibaraki, Japan.
⁶ Department of Psychology, Rissho University, Tokyo, Japan.
⁷ Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

In contemporary Japanese society, it is difficult to find a marriage partner, and therefore, "Konkatsu," the search for a marriage partner, has become a socially accepted activity in Japan. In response to this social challenge, in addition to private companies, governments and non-profit organizations are supporting individuals in their search for a marriage partner. This paper reviews statistical information related to marriage hunting published in Japan. In addition, some of the authors' collaborative activities and academic publications based on these activities are reviewed. Subsequently, the paper discusses and highlights the importance of helping individuals have confidence in their physical attractiveness.

Keywords: collaboration with government and non-profit organizations; collaborative research; konkatsu (marriage hunting); physical attractiveness; social implementation; the decline in the number of marriages in Japan.