Visualizing "Thoughts on Relocation" to Promote "Wide-Area Marriage Hunting"; About 1 in 4 Respondents Are Positive About Relocating.

IBJ Inc. (President and CEO: Kenjiro Tsuchiya, Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, TSE Prime: 6071, hereinafter "IBJ"), which creates the most successful matches in Japan*1, will promote wide-area marriage hunting by newly adding "Thoughts on Relocation" to member profiles at its marriage agencies.

In recent years, while marriage hunting needs using marriage agencies have been increasing nationwide, differences in residential areas often narrow down opportunities for encounters. Therefore, IBJ has made it possible to register and share thoughts on relocation and future residential areas after marriage in profiles. This makes it easier to share values regarding living locations in advance, supporting encounters beyond regional boundaries and matching that looks ahead to future life. Profile registration will begin in June 2026, and as of the end of June, approximately 7,300 members have responded to this item, with about 1 in 4 respondents selecting "Can positively consider relocating."

Marriage Hunting Needs Expanding in Regional Areas; Importance of Wide-Area Marriage Hunting Increasing

In 2025, the number of new members in regional areas increased in all regions compared to 2020. In particular, Hokuriku/Koshinetsu saw a significant increase of 337%, and Hokkaido/Tohoku saw an increase of 321%, indicating a steady rise in marriage hunting needs utilizing marriage agencies even in regional areas.

On the other hand, in regions experiencing population decline and outflow of young people, opportunities for encounters are limited compared to urban areas, making it difficult to meet ideal partners solely within the local area in some cases. To meet the growing marriage hunting needs, it is important to create an environment for "wide-area marriage hunting" that allows searching for partners beyond regional boundaries, without being confined to one's residential area.

Differences in Residential Areas Can Lead to Lost Opportunities for Encounters

In recent years, with the spread of remote work, diversification of working styles, and growing interest in relocating to rural areas or returning to one's hometown, values regarding "where to live" have changed significantly. In marriage hunting, there are also an increasing number of people who say, "I want to return to my hometown in the future" or "I am considering relocating."

However, in the past, such intentions could not be fully conveyed on profiles, leading to cases where receiving an offer for an introduction from a member in another region might be interpreted as "Did they mistakenly apply?" or introductions not being made solely due to residential differences.

Visualizing "Thoughts on Relocation" on Profiles

To solve these issues, IBJ has newly established "Thoughts on Relocation" in member profiles.

Marriage agency profiles are crucial elements that influence whether one can concretely imagine their future after marriage. Unlike matching apps, they are characterized by specializing in information necessary for marriage, and by sharing values and life plans in advance, it prevents discrepancies in understanding and leads to more accurate matching.

By visualizing thoughts on relocation in profiles, it becomes easier to make matches based on each other's life plans even in encounters across regions, thereby promoting wide-area marriage hunting.

Desire for Cross-Regional Encounters Evident; Average of 15 Prefectures Registered as Potential Relocation Destinations

In the newly established "Thoughts on Relocation," in addition to responses like "Can positively consider" and "Want to discuss with partner," members can register prefectures (overseas options also available) where they are willing to relocate. About 1 in 4 respondents (25.8%) answered that they "Can positively consider relocating."

Furthermore, the average number of prefectures registered as potential relocation areas was 14.5 for men and 15.7 for women. While about half of respondents chose 1 to 5 prefectures, it was found that many members consider multiple regions as potential relocation destinations. Additionally, 21.9% of men and 22.8% of women registered all 47 prefectures as relocation areas, indicating a marriage hunting style that considers the future with a partner from a wide range of options without limiting the region.

This item is a profile field for sharing thoughts on relocation and life plans in advance for cross-regional encounters. By visualizing intentions such as "I want to return to my hometown in the future" or "I can consider relocating to a rural area depending on my partner," which could not be conveyed by residential area alone, we aim to reduce regional preconceptions and misunderstandings, and create connections that were not possible before.

IBJ Has Been Supporting "Wide-Area Marriage Hunting"

IBJ has previously implemented measures to support wide-area marriage hunting, such as transportation cost reimbursement programs, to assist members active in long-distance relationships. By supporting cross-regional encounters, 84 successful couples*2 have been created so far.

With the ability to register and share "Thoughts on Relocation" on profiles, we aim to lower the psychological barrier of residential location and promote encounters after aligning on housing values in advance. This will lead to the creation of cross-regional encounters and further revitalization of wide-area marriage hunting.

Furthermore, regional areas face various challenges such as population decline, outflow of young people, and business succession. IBJ believes that relocation and returning to one's hometown triggered by marriage can create new families in the region, and wide-area marriage hunting can contribute to regional revitalization.

Comment from Person in Charge: Takahiro Washino, General Manager, Member Store Headquarters, IBJ Inc.

We added this feature with the desire to reduce, even slightly, cases where opportunities for encounters are narrowed down solely by residential location, amidst diversifying values regarding work styles and housing.

By combining the detailed support of our agencies with this new feature, we will guide high-quality cross-regional encounters and successful matches. In addition, IBJ will promote the creation of an environment that enables more diverse life designs as new marriage hunting infrastructure connecting regional and urban areas.

About IBJ Group

With total support that goes beyond matching, we create the most successful matches (engagements) in Japan*1. We combine human-centric, attentive support with IT, and develop services based on our unique network of marriage agencies. Our business domain is expanding to life design support that looks beyond marriage as the goal to a "happy life" thereafter.

With the unchanging philosophy since our founding of "Bringing happiness to all those with whom we have a connection," we aim to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by creating a virtuous cycle of happiness that begins with marriage, in order to address Japan's serious issue of population decline.

Head Office: 12F & 17F, Shinjuku First West, 1-23-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Kenjiro Tsuchiya, President and CEO

Established: February 2006 (Founded: 2000)

Official Website: https://www.ibjapan.jp/

*1 Researched by Japan Marketing Research Organization (Number of successful matches: cumulative as of 2024, Number of members: as of the end of December 2024, Market research in designated areas for the fiscal year ending February 2025) *Number of successful matches: Number of successful matches within the IBJ Federation.

*2 As of July 1, 2026