According to a special feature of the Marriage White Paper by the IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute, 42.5% of the 9,258 couples who married through the IBJ marriage agency network in 2025 married partners from different prefectures. Marriages involving long-distance relationships accounted for 6.5% of the total, while the dating period was almost the same for couples in the same prefecture and long-distance couples, at approximately 4 months.
The IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute analyzed the places of residence and the process leading to marriage for 9,258 couples who married in 2025. The analysis found that 42.5% of married couples married partners living in different prefectures, while 84.7% were within the same regional block and long-distance marriages accounted for 6.5% of the total.
For long-distance marriages, the dating period was approximately 4 months, with no significant difference from couples in the same prefecture. Couples in the same prefecture dated for 124 days, compared with 120 days for couples in different regions, classified as long-distance relationships. No difference in dating duration attributable to distance was identified.
Regional differences were observed. In Kyoto Prefecture, just over 60% of marriages involved partners from outside the prefecture, while in Hokkaido and Aichi, more than 80% were within the prefecture. The in-prefecture marriage rates were 87.1% in Hokkaido, 82.2% in Aichi and 32.1% in Kyoto.
The IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute said that considering potential relationships without being constrained by proximity, including future lifestyles and values, could expand the options available in marriage-oriented matchmaking.