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Japanese relationship matchmaking

"matchmaking"; 見合い; Miai, or (お見合い) as it is properly known in Japan with the honorific prefix , is a Japanese traditional custom which relates closely to Western matchmaking, in which a woman and a man are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage. The term is sometimes mistranslated as an "arranged marriage" but it can be described as a meeting opportunity with more serious considerations for the future as a process of courtship. According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, in 2005 it was estimated that around 6.2% of marriages in Japan are arranged via .

The practice of emerged in 16th century Japan among the samurai classes, with the intention to form and protect strong military alliances among warlords to ensure mutual support. Later, during the Tokugawa period (1603–1868), the practice of spread to other urban classes trying to emulate samurai customs. It became the practice for those seeking a union between families, and parents on both sides made all the decisions regarding marriage. 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. Nowadays, this type of is usually seen portrayed more in films and television dramas. After the Pacific War, the trend was to abandon the restrictive arranged meetings system. In the 1930s and 40s, practices accounted for 69% of marriages in Japan; by 2010 the figure had dropped to 5.2%. Modern forms of are still practiced in Japan today by various marriage agencies; however, practices such as or 'spouse hunting' have also emerged as alternatives to for many single people who struggle to find a marriage partner, but might not want to go through a matchmaker. There have also been accounts of how parents pressure their unmarried children into arranged meetings that eventually lead to marriages, particularly with children who would assume family responsibilities such as those inheriting a family business. In 2014, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe set aside ¥3 billion to help with and matchmaking efforts within Japan, as part of the Japanese governments efforts to increase the declining birth rate in Japan. Historically, signified that the parties were brought together expressly for the purpose of marriage on the initiative of the parents, a friend of the family, or a go between. It also meant that the initial criteria of selection were objective ones. The potential spouse and their family met with the go between and examined all eligible persons. The often had photographs of candidates and a , a small personal history. The photographs and were then brought to the home of the potential spouse's family for the son or daughter to scrutinize. The participant and their family examined the photos and short personal histories based on an investigation of social consideration. The education level and occupations of the potential candidate's family were historically the first aspects taken into consideration at that meeting. The potential mate and their mother then created a list of primary choices and asked the to investigate the first choice. In more selective , the candidates and their families were judged on a larger set of criteria aimed at determining the suitability and the balance of the marriage. These criteria are formally known in Japan as (家柄). They included level of education, income, occupation, physical attractiveness, religion, social standing, and hobbies. The participant's bloodline (血統) also played a large role. Many were fearful of the possibility that a potential candidate's blood was contaminated with diseases such as epilepsy, neurosis, or mental illness. The fear was so prevalent that the Eugenic Protection Law of 1948 was passed to legalize sterilization and abortion for people with a history of mental defects and other hereditary diseases. Social status also played a large role in selecting a candidate. Ideally, paired candidates and their families would be of equal social status, so some candidates had a hard time finding a mate if their family was not of a certain social status. Family lineage also affected the quality of candidates historically; for example, a candidate with samurai blood was more likely to be picked than one with ancestry from a different class, especially during the Tokugawa era. something which still occurs through online based services in Japan today. Although candidates rely on their photographs and resumes in the modern process, an older custom known as (hidden look) was once employed. occurred when a potential male candidate attempted to catch a glimpse of the female in secret. The objective of the was to prevent embarrassing denials based on appearances. in which a betrothal ceremony (結納) was arranged by the groom's family. Women born during those years would often claim to have been born in the previous or following year. The belief was so widespread that in 1966, according to the Japan Statistical Yearbook, the birthrate in Japan took a 26% dip. Today, members may be identified by the region of the city where they live or by their street address, The is expected to play a variety of roles throughout the process. The first is the bridging role, (橋架け), in which the introduces potential candidates, and potentially their families to each other depending on requirements. The second role, which is increasingly less common in modern Japan, 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. The is even consulted by the married couple after their wedding if they encounter problems in their married life. Even though marriages are less common than they once were, they do still hold a place in popular media. One example is Wedding Bells, a panel type game show which ran from 1993 to 1997 in Japan on TBS, that substituted for the role of the in which contestants were introduced and screened for marriage possibility.

is one of the main topics of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's The Makioka Sisters, which was published in the 1940s.