I’m the PJ who asked earlier about saving for marriage. I’m currently repaying my student loans, and since my boyfriend hates debt, I’ve been using papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) to make extra payments and pay them off early. He was my classmate at university, and neither of us earns much yet. If I leave my student loans unpaid, I feel like we’ll both end up struggling financially.

There’s nothing inherently right or wrong about that way of thinking. Some women do papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) to cover living expenses, build savings, or pay off debt—even if they have a boyfriend or husband. Others choose to pay off their debts little by little without doing papa-katsu. Neither choice is necessarily good or bad. It’s simply a matter of choosing. What you probably need to consider is how strong your guilt toward your boyfriend is. If it feels like a lifelong burden and is affecting your relationship, you should stop doing papa-katsu. If you don’t feel that level of guilt, then you can continue. It really depends on the individual’s personality, so personally, I don’t think either choice is wrong.

If you need it and feel it adds value to your life, then you should make good use of papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan)—that’s all there is to it. It can be temporary or continue indefinitely… If you don’t feel you’re getting any value or benefits from it, there’s no point in doing it.

Including your previous question, you’ve been getting some pretty harsh answers. I do think it’s okay to make use of papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), even if it may not be the most admirable approach. As for your student loans, the biggest problem is that repayment starts when you’re still earning very little. I believe there should be a grace period of a few years before repayment begins. That said, I can’t agree with making early repayments. Why? Because once you pay the money back, you can no longer put it to use. I understand that things may be difficult and that the debt may be weighing on you mentally, but your twenties are the time to lay the groundwork for your future. Basically, you should invest the money you receive from your papa (a male supporter) in your own future. You said your boyfriend hates debt, but being able to borrow money is also a skill in its own right. One of my life lessons is that it’s extremely difficult for someone who can’t borrow money to become wealthy. I’ll say it again: if you make early repayments, you won’t learn how to think about money or how to put it to work. Not all debt is good, but student loans have relatively low interest rates, so just keep paying them off steadily. The only one who benefits from early repayment is the Japan Student Services Organization. This may sound harsh, but many people who want to repay their student loans early are people who weren’t able to make good use of them. You can’t change the past, but you can change the future. To avoid repeating the same mistake, try exploring how you could use the money you’re considering putting toward early repayment. You’re young—you can do it!

I don’t understand why getting married and combining your finances would necessarily leave you both struggling. Unless you have children, marriage and sharing living expenses would generally reduce your overall spending. For example, if getting married would increase your expenses because you currently live with your parents or for some other reason, I personally think it’s misguided to rely on an allowance that isn’t very sustainable to cover the difference. That said, I also think it’s misguided for a man to consider getting married and living together when he would be in a situation where he had to cover his partner’s rent. I don’t think wanting to use your allowance to pay off your student loans early before marriage is either right or wrong. There’s no need for other people to evaluate your choices.