Approximately 47% of remarried women marry "first-marriage men." Matching regardless of marital history is progressing.

IBJ Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kenjiro Tsuchiya), which creates the most marriages in Japan*1, announced the results of a survey on matchmaking for remarried women, analyzing marriage data for 2025. The "IBJ Kekkon Mirai Kenkyujo" (IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute) operated by IBJ Inc. has released the findings.

The survey revealed that approximately half of remarried women marry first-marriage men. Furthermore, about one in four remarried women who married first-marriage men have children, indicating that marital history and the presence of children are not significant barriers to marriage. In recent years, remarriage has become an important option for family formation in Japan. This survey shows that encounters with new partners are expanding, accepting diverse family structures regardless of marital history or whether one has children.

Approximately half of remarried women marry first-marriage men. Matching beyond marital history is progressing

Figure 1: 47.2% of remarried women married first-marriage men

Of the remarried women who married in 2025, 47.2% married first-marriage men, a figure nearly on par with the percentage who married remarried men (47.5%). This suggests that marital history is not a decisive factor in choosing a partner.

The background to this is a change in values regarding marriage; divorce experience itself is no longer uncommon. Against this backdrop of environmental change, the matchmaking market is increasingly emphasizing compatibility in values and future plans over marital history itself. These results may indicate a shift in the matchmaking market where "what kind of family one wants to build" is prioritized over attributes like "whether one is marrying for the first or second time."

About one in four remarried women have children. The option of stepfamilies is expanding

Figure 2: 25.5% of remarried women who married first-marriage men have "children."

Among remarried women who married first-marriage men, the proportion with "children" was 25.5%. While some women may think that "having children makes remarriage difficult," the data shows that the presence of children is not necessarily a barrier to marriage.

In recent years, understanding of remarried families and stepfamilies has broadened, and family structures have diversified. While it was once common to "have children after marriage," cases of building new families that include children are now increasing. Amidst declining birth rates and an increasing number of unmarried individuals, family formation through remarriage plays a significant role in society and serves as one option to support diverse family structures.

Remarried women achieve marriage faster. Past experience supports decision-making

The median duration to marriage was 7.1 months for remarried women, compared to 8.2 months for first-marriage women. While some may think remarriage takes longer to achieve, remarried women actually married about a month faster. This is likely because having experienced married life has clarified their own values and ideal partner image.

Furthermore, in recent matchmaking, there is a growing trend to prioritize compatibility in married life and values over simply searching for a partner based on conditions. In this environment, remarried individuals whose views on marriage are more organized may find it easier to select a partner and move forward with their decisions.

These results suggest that divorce experience may not necessarily be a handicap in matchmaking, but rather may serve as an experience that clarifies one's own views on marriage.

IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute Comment

Many people considering remarriage harbor anxieties about whether "having a marital history" or "having children" will affect their matchmaking efforts.

However, the results of this survey show that many individuals are finding partners with whom they can understand each other's unique selves, including their life experiences and paths taken so far, and embark on a new life together.

The IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute will continue to disseminate information that allows each individual to approach matchmaking positively through the analysis of marriage data.

"Latest Data" analyzing 19,112 married individuals released weekly

Going forward, we will sequentially release data from perspectives not previously analyzed, such as "The Reality of Reiwa Era Senior Marriages" and "Prefectures with High Marriage Rates with Older Women."

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Data Overview and Prerequisites for this Report

● Data Prerequisites: All data in this report is based on the activity results within "marriage consulting services." ● Research Entity: IBJ Inc. (IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute) ● Research Subjects: Members of the IBJ Marriage Consulting Network (those who withdrew upon marriage in 2025) ● Partner's Marital History: Analyzed for 1,046 remarried women who married in 2025, categorized by the male partner's marital history (first marriage/remarriage/second or subsequent remarriage). For comparison, 8,291 first-marriage women were included. "Remarried women" refers to women entering their second marriage; those entering their third or subsequent marriage are categorized separately as "second or subsequent remarriage." ● Presence of Children: Composition ratio of 494 couples where remarried women married first-marriage men, categorized by presence of children and cohabitation/separate living. ● Marriage Speed: Comparison of the duration to marriage (median, in months) by the woman's own marital history. *This figure includes cases of marriage outside the consulting service (cases where individuals met outside the marriage consulting service and withdrew upon marriage).

About the IBJ Group

We create the most marriages (=engagements) in Japan*1 through total support that goes beyond simple matching. By combining personalized support, which can only be provided by humans, with IT, we offer services based on our unique marriage consulting network. Our business domain is expanding to life design support, looking beyond marriage as the goal to a "happy life" thereafter.

In line with our unchanging philosophy since our founding, "To bring happiness to all those with whom we have a connection," we aim to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by creating a virtuous cycle of happiness starting with marriage, thereby addressing Japan's serious issue of population decline.

Head Office: 12F & 17F, Shinjuku First West, 1-23-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Kenjiro Tsuchiya, President and CEO

Established: February 2006 (Founded: 2000)

Official Website: https://www.ibjapan.jp/

*1 Survey by Japan Marketing Research Organization (Number of marriages: cumulative total for 2024, number of members: as of the end of December 2024, market research in the designated field for the fiscal year ending February 2025) *Number of marriages: number of marriages within the IBJ federation)