Single people in Japan are increasingly choosing marriage agencies over dating apps, which they view as inefficient and problematic due to issues like ghosting, fake profiles, and missed dates. This shift highlights a growing preference for a more structured and accelerated path to marriage. Some agencies promise a proposal within three months of the first meeting. According to the New York Times, arranged marriages through omiai, a system involving matchmakers, were common in Japan before World War II but have largely faded with the rise of spontaneous dating and online platforms. Taizen Yasuda, a 28-year-old client of IBJ, a major marriage agency in Tokyo, expressed his frustration with dating apps and his decision to seek professional help. He noted that marriage agencies offer a faster route to finding someone with a shared goal of marriage. IBJ, which claims to be responsible for about one in 25 marriages in Japan, has experienced a significant increase in membership and profits. Membership has risen by 50% since 2021, and revenue increased by 44% in the first half of this year, reaching over 80 million euros. IBJ offers various services, including coaching and counseling, to help clients prepare for potential relationships and proposals. Counselors provide guidance, such as exchanging and filtering feedback after dates, supporting clients, and orchestrating important steps up to the proposal. Shigeru Ishizaka, general manager of IBJ, states that the company provides human support to help people get married as quickly as possible. IBJ's services come at a high cost, with registration fees ranging from 575 to 1,150 euros, monthly fees of 26 to 88 euros, and an additional 1,150 euros if the couple gets engaged. A penalty of 1,150 euros is also charged if the couple breaks certain rules, including having sexual relations or cohabiting before marriage. The registration conditions are restricted to women aged 20 to 39 and men aged 25 to 49. Critics argue that agencies like IBJ capitalize on the traditional role of matchmakers, turning romantic encounters into a business. Junko Yamada, a psychology of love researcher at the University of Tokyo Tokai, notes that in an increasingly digital society, there is a deep desire for someone to guide through the entire dating process. IBJ's CEO, Shigeru Ishizaka, sees the rising demand as proof that singles are seeking a more effective way to find love, and he believes that each marriage formed by the agency contributes to reversing Japan's declining birth rate.