I'm thinking about trying papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), but I don't know what the current market is like. Are the returns significantly lower than they were before the 2008 financial crisis? Has the window of opportunity for getting involved already passed?

I’m Saito, a columnist♪ There are plenty of people who run these businesses themselves. Some even operate them under the guise of matchmaking agencies. There are really quite a lot of them. By all means, give it your best shot. A company won’t attract people if it’s run with the attitude of, “It’s a trend, so we’ll do it—and when the trend fades, we’ll quit.” The more a company genuinely loves what it does, the more appealing it becomes. Whether you see papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) as something that’s losing momentum because the trend has passed, or as something that’s easier to get into because the trend has raised awareness, is up to you. Incidentally, people often joke and ask me, “Why don’t you start your own dating club?” I do like giving women money, but I’ve decided that I’ll never make a living out of selling women. (I realize that wording may invite misunderstanding, but I think some people will understand what I mean. I’m not criticizing dating clubs at all.) I much prefer being a member♪

Maezawa here. Are you looking to open a dating club? I can’t speak for the market as a whole, but Universe Club is doing extremely well. In fact, Universe is gradually monopolizing the market, so if you’re entering now, I don’t think you’ll survive unless you offer something different from Universe. Universe itself grew so large because it did things differently from existing dating clubs. Then again, this is probably obvious to anyone who runs a business—I’m preaching to the converted.