The number of marriages between Korean men and Japanese women was reportedly 1,483 couples last year, the highest since 2000.
A Korean-Japanese marriage counseling center in Tokyo, Japan, also explained that its number of female members had doubled this year compared with last year.
However, counseling-center members and interview cases do not represent all Korean-Japanese couples or marriage cultures in the two countries.
3-Line Summary
1. There were 1,483 Korean-Japanese marriages last year
2. Moa Love’s female membership doubled in one year
3. Counseling-center cases should not be generalized to the population as a whole
1,483 Couples Last Year, Marriages Increased After COVID-19
According to domestic reports citing the Tokyo Shimbun, the number of marriages in South Korea between Korean men and Japanese women increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 1,483 couples last year. It was presented as the highest level since 2000.
This figure does not show how much the overall dating population of Korean-Japanese couples has grown. It is the number of marriages involving a specific pairing that led to marriage. Therefore, rather than concluding that “all Korean-Japanese couples increased for the same reasons” or that the views on marriage among all young people in the two countries have changed, the confirmed marriage statistics and individual cases need to be read separately.
The reports cited as relevant background the increased opportunities to encounter Korean cultural content, the ease of encountering the daily lives of Korean-Japanese couples on social networking services, and the lower language barrier resulting from the development of translation applications. These were analyses presented by people involved and by the media; they do not mean that a single cause of the increase in marriages has been confirmed.
Membership Growth at Tokyo Counseling Center ‘Moa Love’
Tokyo-based counseling center Moa Love, which supports marriages with Korean men, said that the number of its female members had doubled this year compared with last year. A counseling-center representative said that many members cited K-pop and Korean dramas as reasons for joining, and explained that many members also hoped to live in South Korea.
There was also an explanation that, when the man lives in South Korea, the woman generally moves to South Korea after marriage. In addition, it was reported that 40% of the counseling center’s Korean male members cannot speak Japanese, alongside an analysis that the development of translation apps had lowered the barrier to meeting.
The increase in counseling-center membership is also a change observed at that particular counseling center. It should not be read as a statistic showing that the number of women throughout Japan who want to marry Koreans has exactly doubled. This is because people who seek out counseling centers are already a group interested in international marriage or meeting a particular type of partner.
Languages of Affection and Cultural Differences Appeared Together
The Japanese women in the reports mentioned Korean men’s active expressions of affection and consideration as factors they liked. Meanwhile, another interviewee said that not all men are gentle like those in Korean dramas and that marriage has advantages and disadvantages regardless of nationality.
Cultural differences were also part of the discussion. A Japanese woman who met a Korean man through the counseling center said that she learned during the relationship about issues such as having a meal alone with another man for work and relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in Korea. The reports also mentioned differences in perceptions of housing and marriage conditions in the two countries, along with an introduction to the idea that some Korean men hold a gentle and warm image of Japanese women.
The most notable point in this reporting is that numbers and images are not the same thing. The figure of 1,483 couples is a confirmed change, but assessments such as “considerate” or “having good conditions” are personal perceptions expressed by interviewees and the counseling center. When considering international couples, the more concrete issues remain the language, family relationships, and lifestyles that the two actual people must negotiate, rather than expectations about a particular nationality.
References
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