Shigeru Ishizaka, President and CEO of IBJ Inc.

We want to meet the needs of people who want to get married.

■ Profile

Born in Asakusa, Tokyo in 1971. Joined the Industrial Bank of Japan Ltd. (now Mizuho Bank Ltd.). In 2001, he became Representative Director and President of Bridal Net Co., Ltd. In 2006, he became Representative Director and President of IBJ Co., Ltd. In response to Japan's serious population decline problem, he aims to directly contribute to population growth by producing married couples through IBJ, and to create 5% (25,000 couples) of the total number of married couples in Japan by 2027.

Last year, IBJ Co., Ltd. helped over 10,000 couples get married. Meeting customer needs is what makes their job rewarding and expands their business, says Shigeru Ishizaka, the company's president. We spoke to him about the process and thoughts behind creating IBJ, the industry leader with the highest number of successful marriages*, which continues to meet the world's desire to get married, a desire that has not diminished even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

■Learning teamwork through lacrosse during his time as a student at the University of Tokyo

I've loved physical activity since I was little, and I was involved in club activities every day during my student days. After entering university, I joined the lacrosse club. I chose lacrosse because it had only just been introduced to Japan at the time, and I thought we could beat other universities. Lacrosse is a team sport. I learned the importance of achieving goals as a team, which is why I still maintain good relationships with my teammates. I spent my life focused on club activities and only had close connections with a select few people, so if I could go back to those days, I think I would interact with many people, but also actively pursue things that only I can do. I also wish I had focused more on studying economics.

■After joining the Industrial Bank of Japan, he became interested in IT and left the bank.

When I was job hunting as a new graduate, I met and spoke with many seniors. It's no exaggeration to say that I chose a company based on the people. Of all the companies I spoke with, the one that particularly impressed me was the Industrial Bank of Japan. I was struck by the company's commitment to making a significant contribution to economic growth and influencing society and the world, and decided to join the bank. There were many inspiring and fascinating people at the Industrial Bank of Japan, and I felt comfortable there. However, about five years after I started working there, IT and the Internet began to spread rapidly in Japan. I decided to leave the bank because I wanted to experience new technology and challenge myself to do something new. My family originally ran a business in the downtown Asakusa area, so perhaps it was this blood that allowed me to have no hesitation in starting my own business.

■Discovered a niche market for matchmaking and decided to provide a matchmaking information service

When I started my business, I wanted to eventually offer a service that combined the internet with my business. However, I struggled with what kind of business I should pursue. Selling products would involve borrowing from existing production lines and holding inventory—a risk I didn't want. So, I wanted to start small and grow a fee-for-information business with relatively little debt or risk. I figured that businesses like real estate and human resources already had large companies and I might lose out due to the high competition. I was thinking that becoming number one in a niche field would be a better fit for me, when I stumbled upon the marriage market. At the time, there were dating message boards, but no companies that properly offered "dating" as a service. So, I decided to start a company that offered an internet marriage information service targeted at people looking to get married.

■IT x Marriage creates a completely new matchmaking service

At the time, the main method of matchmaking was for matchmakers to copy paper profiles and introduce potential partners through their personal networks, which was very inconvenient. Looking back, it was a scary way to manage information (laughs).

So, we took advantage of the internet and started Japan's first matching site for people looking to get married. The very idea of ​​introducing IT into matchmaking was groundbreaking, but it also made information exchange easier and significantly increased the level of information security. Also, in the matchmaking party business, there was an issue of not knowing who was attending unless you actually went to the store, so we put in place a system that took credit card payments in advance and verified the identity of all participants, eliminating any discrepancies between the information provided in advance and the actual situation. Identity verification by credit card registration has now become commonplace, but I believe we were one of the first in Japan to introduce it. This has resulted in a service that gives customers a greater sense of security.

■ Identify problems and improve them through data collection

However, we started to hear people say, "They meet people, but it doesn't lead to a relationship," so we decided to seek the help of a matchmaker, a professional in matchmaking. When we actually spoke to them, we found that matchmakers were good at taking care of the marriage process, but not so good at attracting clients.

So, we wanted to make the work of matchmakers more efficient, and decided to create a network and system that would bring together marriage agencies across the country. At first, no one understood that we were creating a platform for marriage agencies using the Internet. Many matchmakers are elderly, and I don't think they had ever thought about using a computer.

To achieve this, before the service was completed, I contacted dozens of people, meeting them and listening to their stories to deepen my understanding, and even held computer study sessions for matchmakers. Through these repeated efforts, the service gradually gained traction and we were able to increase the number of affiliated stores. Even if the company grew solely through matchmaking parties, it would be meaningless if we couldn't meet our customers' needs for marriage. I felt that sincerely listening to and listening to our customers' feedback would lead to business development. The most rewarding aspect of my work is seeing married couples. IBJ places importance not only on sales, but also on how many successful marriages are realized. I also regularly visit the site to hear opinions and requests directly from staff, and sometimes I personally teach IBJ's matchmaking methods. Even now that I'm the company's president, I still value listening to each and every voice as much as possible.

■Message

Although our relationship with our customers is a contractual one, it also requires a relationship of trust, and we believe it's important to be able to output love to our customers. And in order to output, input is necessary. That's why we'd like to work with people who have experienced being loved by those around them, who are interested in everyone, and who have a loving personality. To be that kind of person, I hope you'll be positive, cheerful, and smile-filled. This will increase the number of times people think, "This person seems interesting" or "He's cheerful and nice," and I believe it will bring you good fortune. Also, cherish the encounters that arise from this and make new connections.

I think that university students only meet a limited number of people if they just go about their daily lives. I hope that you will not be bothered by meeting people and worlds that are different from the ones you usually live in, but rather cherish them, make contact with people you have never spoken to, and learn new ways of thinking.

*Survey conducted by the Japan Marketing Research Organization in January 2022 regarding registered members of the IBJ Japan Marriage Agency Federation (number of successful marriages: 2021 results, number of members: as of the end of December 2021, targeting major marriage agencies and federations)

Student Newspaper Online Interview July 11, 2022 Toyo University 3rd Year Student Honoka Hama