"South Korean Men Do Even This?"... Why Japanese Women Are Looking for Korean Husbands

Japanese-Born Professor Explains the Appeal of Korean Men
Active Expressions of Affection and Thoughtful Consideration
Marriages to Japanese Women Reach Record High

A Japanese-born scholar says Japanese women’s preference for South Korean men stems from their open expressions of affection and thoughtful consideration.

Hosaka Yuji, a special professor at Korea University’s Graduate School of Public Administration, appeared on the YouTube channel “Woongdal Bookstore” on November 8 and said, “A marriage counseling agency specializing in Korean-Japanese couples has opened in Tokyo.” He added, “There are far more women than men who want to marry Koreans. Statistics also show that Japanese women in particular strongly prefer South Korean men.”

"Expressions of Affection and Everyday Consideration Are Changing Japanese Women's Ideals"

Professor Hosaka said, “Among Japanese women, the idea has taken hold that South Korean men express their affection very directly and show women considerable thoughtfulness.” Regarding the Japanese phrase “aishitemasu” (“I love you”), he said, “The phrase itself carries a somewhat weighty meaning. The moment you say it, it can mean, ‘I will devote everything I have to you.’ In South Korea, isn't it possible to say ‘I love you’ more casually, even simply to mean that you like someone?” He added, “Japanese women want to hear those words from South Korean men.”

As examples of everyday consideration, he said, “When walking together, a man might have the woman walk on the side away from traffic, or cut up all the steak for her during a meal. Japanese men don't often do those things.” On the influence of the Korean Wave, he said, “South Korean men in Korean dramas are portrayed as risking their lives to protect women.” He explained, “The image of a man giving everything he has for the woman he loves has become the ideal in the minds of Japanese women.”

As for why South Korean men are attracted to Japanese women, he pointed to their willingness to listen. He said, “Japanese women have a strong image of valuing what men say and not immediately disagreeing with them when they speak.” He added, “In Japan, many people are taught at home to listen to others first and not to immediately reject what they say.”

He also noted that some Japanese women prefer South Korea's system, under which spouses retain their own surnames after marriage. In Japan, couples who are both Japanese must use the same surname. He said, “Quite a few Japanese women feel that South Korea is actually a place where they can preserve their own identity.”

Korean Wave and Income Reversal... Marriages Between South Korean Men and Japanese Women on the Rise

A couple on a street in Seoul to help readers understand the article. Pexels

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' “2025 Multicultural Population Dynamics Statistics,” there were 1,494 marriages in 2025 involving a Japanese-born wife, up 25.8% from the previous year and the highest number since statistics were first compiled in 2008. Based on marriage registrations, 88.6% of the 1,673 Korean-Japanese couples registered in South Korea in 2025 were couples with a South Korean husband and a Japanese wife. This trend is the opposite of what it was in 2000. At the time, 2,630 Japanese men married South Korean women, while only 819 Japanese women married South Korean men.

A similar trend has emerged in Japanese statistics. According to the “2026 Population Statistics Handbook,” compiled by Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research using population dynamics statistics from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, South Korean and North Korean nationals accounted for the largest group of foreign husbands who married Japanese women in 2024, at 1,627 (23.6%). However, this figure also includes marriages to Zainichi Koreans living in Japan.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported in July 2025 that marriages between South Korean men and Japanese women were increasing, citing the Korean Wave and South Korea's growing economic strength as contributing factors. The Nikkei profiled a Japanese woman in her 20s living near Seoul, quoting her as saying, “I love my husband, but I also really wanted to try living in South Korea.” It added, “The number of Japanese women interested in South Korea who have moved there to marry has risen since the mid-2010s,” and noted that “during that period, South Korea surpassed Japan in nominal GDP per capita.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.