“Management’s Aspirations” features interviews with managers who have overcome various challenges and explores the values they hold as leaders as well as the goals they seek to achieve through their businesses.

In our fifth installment, we spoke with Masahito Kurumiya, President of Omicale Inc., along with Shohei Fujimori, JAFCO’s investment professional in charge, about the company’s future challenges.

【About Omicale Inc.】

Omicale Inc. operates the marriage-oriented matchmaking party platform “Omicale.” The service launched in 2013, and in December 2025 its membership surpassed one million. It boasts one of the largest numbers of listed parties and user reviews in Japan. By strengthening partnerships with local governments such as Tottori Prefecture, Okayama Prefecture, and Kanazawa City, as well as with a wide range of companies across industries, Omicale aims to help resolve Japan’s serious social challenges of declining marriage and falling birthrates through both real-world and online initiatives.

—Mr. Kurumiya, you became Omicale’s new President in November 2025. Could you tell us about your career prior to that?

Kurumiya After joining Recruit as a new graduate, I was assigned to advertising sales in the Zexy division, and I spent nearly 16 years in the bridal field until I left the company. Because it was a media brand with overwhelming market share, my work went beyond simply selling ad space to clients. I was involved in organizational development and even business development.

After leaving Recruit, I co-founded a management consulting firm with a friend and was involved in management as Executive Vice President. Then I received an offer from Omicale, which led me to where I am today.

—Omicale’s business domain could be described as the stage before Zexy. What impression did you have of the marriage matchmaking market at the time?

Kurumiya Zexy also offered a marriage matching service, and while I was not directly in charge, I was involved to some extent, so I had been paying attention to the marriage matchmaking market for some time.

When Omicale approached me, I instinctively felt that there was more I could do in the marriage matchmaking space beyond the bridal field I had been working in. There are people who want to meet someone but have not been able to. I strongly felt that I wanted to take on the challenge, through Omicale, of helping such people meet properly, fall in love, get married, and build happy families.

—What motivates you now as you work in the marriage matchmaking domain? Is your experience with Zexy at the core?

Kurumiya I may not have fully reflected on it yet, but I truly love Japan. I want this country to remain prosperous, and I want the people who live here to stay energetic and positive.

There is a Japanese expression, “hare” (extraordinary/bright) and “ke” (ordinary/mundane). I have always felt that I am better at creating value in extraordinary moments rather than in everyday situations. When I joined Recruit, I spoke about that in my initial assignment interview, which led me to work on Zexy, and it felt like a perfect fit.

By creating a fleeting moment of brilliance in someone’s life, you can enrich the rest of that person’s life. That, in turn, could contribute to addressing population decline and the aging society, ultimately revitalizing Japan. I believe that sense of mission developed from those experiences. Even now that I have shifted from Zexy to the marriage matchmaking domain, that sense of mission remains unchanged.

Fujimori When we were selecting Omicale’s new president, we asked candidates to present how they wanted to shape the company. Mr. Kurumiya’s presentation conveyed the greatest passion. Becoming president of Omicale was not his goal. Rather, he spoke passionately about how he would use the position as a means to improve society. I felt a consistent and compelling story in his vision.

—It has been a few months since you assumed the role of President. I imagine there are already many initiatives under way and many more you hope to pursue. First, could you tell us about recent trends in the marriage matchmaking market?

Kurumiya A few years after the pandemic, user behavior is no longer focused solely on matching apps. There is a trend toward returning to in-person settings.

With apps, people initially judge each other based on specifications and profiles, which can be exhausting for both those choosing and those being chosen. There are also many steps before actually meeting in person: sending likes, matching, exchanging messages. Unless someone is already comfortable with romance and communication, they often never reach the stage of meeting.

Marriage agencies can help achieve the goal of marriage if you pay a high fee. However, because they are highly goal-oriented and efficient, the emotional experience along the way can sometimes be lacking.

In contrast, marriage matchmaking events offer a wide range of formats tailored to different comfort levels, such as one-on-one meetings, large group mixers, and standing-style parties. There is also a rich variety of events based on hobbies and values. Through shared experiences, participants can feel their hearts move and experience a sense of excitement. For those who cannot find a match through apps but are not yet ready to register with a marriage agency, marriage matchmaking events provide an ideal setting for natural encounters and that sense of excitement. After all, people want to fall in love and then get married.

—So simply by participating, people can stand at the starting line of meeting someone, and they can also experience emotional connections. That’s the advantage of marriage matchmaking events.

Kurumiya Exactly. As a platform operator, we do not create all of the marriage matchmaking events ourselves. However, to create encounters that come with genuine excitement, we have begun pursuing two directions.

First, we aim to dramatically expand both the quality and quantity of matching opportunities. Specifically, we are accelerating collaboration not only with existing event organizers but also with clients in other industries, such as wedding venues and izakaya restaurants.

We have already partnered with Pronto Corp., which operates the cafe chain Pronto, and with the hotel Courtyard by Marriott Nagoya operated by Marriott International. Together, we are creating opportunities that align with diverse lifestyles, such as casually meeting at a familiar cafe or enjoying an elegant encounter in a luxurious setting.

Second, we are collaborating with local governments. This initiative has accelerated since 2024. Going forward, we hope to work with local event organizers to create low-cost, sustainable event packages that can be rolled out nationwide.

—Tottori Prefecture, which signed a partnership agreement with you in 2024, has been proactive in addressing the declining birthrate, even establishing a childrearing kingdom division. You continue to work together on various initiatives, correct?

Kurumiya Yes. We have steadily deepened our collaboration through hosting events in Tottori and holding study sessions for the media. The Omicale Marriage Matchmaking Summit 2025, held for local governments, also received a strong response. Collaboration with local governments, including Tottori Prefecture, has rapidly become a major pillar of Omicale’s marriage matchmaking business.

And this year as well, discussions are underway regarding collaborative projects with local governments nationwide such as Tottori Prefecture. While new challenges have emerged, such as attracting participants and providing follow-up after matching, we intend to leverage our accumulated expertise and continue close dialogue with the prefecture as we work together to address the major issues of declining birthrates and population decline.

Our company’s vision is “Turning zero encounters into ZERO.” We will continue working toward that goal. Since becoming President, I have placed particular emphasis on further enhancing the value of our services. The key question is how people meet. We want to increase opportunities for encounters that come with genuine excitement, working together with local governments and companies to take on this challenge.

—When you became President, how did employees react?

Kurumiya At the first kickoff meeting where I gave a speech, many employees looked bewildered. There are many long-tenured members, so I believe there was some anxiety about the company’s future.

That is one reason why, from the time I took office until now, I have continued holding weekly one-on-one meetings with each individual. I wanted to create opportunities where we could openly exchange thoughts, such as asking, “What did you think about what we discussed last time?” or sharing, “Here is what I want to do.”

Gradually, even typically quiet members began to say things like, “Mr. Kurumiya, I don’t think that’s right,” speaking honestly and directly. I’ve responded with the same level of candor, and such discussions have increased. After several months, I feel that more employees understand my thinking, and I see more individual reactions from each of them. It has been a significant change.

—It’s impressive that you have continued weekly meetings. From your perspective as an outside director, Mr. Fujimori, how do you view Mr. Kurumiya’s approach?

Fujimori It’s rare to find someone who can patiently engage with every member to that extent. Many leaders hold one-on-one meetings after taking office, but they often do so only once. By continuing dialogue with each person, trust is gradually built, and alignment with the company’s direction becomes possible. I believe it is extremely important communication.

—How does JAFCO typically engage with Omicale?

Kurumiya The JAFCO team including Mr. Fujimori holds weekly strategy meetings with us to share the current situation and discuss strategy. We try to maintain an objective perspective on how Omicale is seen by society, and I feel that Mr. Fujimori serves as one of those external eyes. When I head off in various directions based on ideas, he offers advice such as, “That direction will increase social value,” or, “For now, it would be better to align with prevailing societal trends.” I am very grateful for that.

In business, there is often a gap between what is said publicly and what is truly thought. With JAFCO, however, we can speak openly and sincerely. I constantly feel that they are partners with whom we can genuinely consider how the company can grow.

Fujimori Thank you. While maintaining an objective perspective, JAFCO’s support stance is to do everything necessary for the future of Omicale that Mr. Kurumiya envisions, whether that involves introducing business partners through our network or supporting financing initiatives.

—From JAFCO’s perspectivem what kind of future do you envision for Omicale?

Fujimori I hope Omicale becomes more than just a platform for marriage matchmaking events. Beyond encounters aimed at marriage, I would like to see it grow into a company that provides opportunities for people to meet in general, whether they are not considering marriage but want to meet someone, or want to make friends who share the same hobbies. I believe Omicale’s strength lies in its ability to involve local governments and companies in expanding its business. In the future, I hope it will take on challenges within an even broader framework.

Kurumiya I agree. Through services related to meeting others and transitioning into the life stage of becoming a family, I want to enrich people’s lives. I also hope that, through our ongoing collaborations with companies in other industries, more businesses will see the potential of the marriage matchmaking market and enter it. That could lead us to discover new business ideas and help expand the market as a whole.

—To take on these various challenges, expanding the organization seems urgent. What kind of people would you like to grow the company with?

Kurumiya We are currently strengthening our organizational structure to further expand the business and provide higher-quality services. We are actively recruiting new members. We need management members who will take the lead in operations, as well as talent in sales, product development, and marketing.

In terms of mindset, we seek people who resonate with our business and can feel passionate about the field of encounters and marriage matchmaking. Ideally, they are people who believe that revitalizing the marriage matchmaking market might help improve Japan.

This applies equally to current employees and those who will join us in the future. I want each person to value their own will, the feeling of “This is what I want to do.” I hope they will be explorers who seek out exciting, unprecedented value on their own initiative. Without being bound by conventional norms, they can think, “If it were me, I would create this kind of encounter,” and move forward with enjoyment. It would be reassuring to energize Omicale together with such individuals.

I believe it would be presumptuous to simply tell employees to “grow.” Growth can imply a single standard by which superiority or inferiority is judged. Rather than imposing such a scale, I want each person to maximize their unique strengths and individuality. Now that we have entered our second founding phase, we are in the midst of moving forward while changing many aspects of the company every day. That is why I want people who can positively embrace change, who are not afraid to change themselves, and who can share diverse ideas without being constrained by fixed concepts.

Furthermore, I hope that taking on challenges at Omicale will become an opportunity for individuals to open up their own futures. Over time, those accumulated efforts may transform into a great force that moves the company and even society. I want us to be an organization that respects each individual’s aspirations.

Omicale’s recruitment page

—Finally, could you share your personal philosophy as a business leader?

Kurumiya If you divide career types into two categories, there is the “mountain climbing type,” who sets a goal and steadily climbs toward it, and the “river rafting type,” who adjusts to circumstances and ultimately reaches the goal. I am the river rafting type. If you compare what I think today with what I will think tomorrow, I feel that tomorrow’s ideas are likely to be better. I want to believe that I am constantly being updated in each passing moment.

That is why, if I fully commit to what is happening right in front of me, I believe a bright future will await the next day.

Comment from the investment professional in charge, Shohei Fujimori

Omicale’s vision, “Turning zero encounters into ZERO,” reflects the idea of expanding the very opportunities for people to meet, not limited to encounters premised on marriage. Omicale values creating opportunities for encounters while supporting not only those seeking serious relationships but also those who simply want to participate casually at first. As ways of meeting diversify, we strongly resonate with Omicale’s commitment to continually evolving marriage matchmaking events in step with the times. Together with President Kurumiya and the team, we will continue to support Omicale’s challenges going forward.