There’s a limit to the mistress market. Why not develop the field of arranging extramarital affairs alongside it? Facilitating compensated relationships is something anyone else can do, after all. A huge source of revenue lies in the areas others are reluctant to touch. People aged 60 and over make up the largest group, both in terms of population and disposable income.

I’m very sorry for the extremely late reply. I’m Kida, the representative, and I’ll be responding. Thank you for the grand idea of developing an intermediary service for extramarital affairs. I’ll start working on the concept tomorrow. When you say there’s an enormous untapped source of revenue, that means there’s also a major unmet need, correct? The founder of Ashley Madison must have made a fortune. I don’t believe every affair is completely wrong, but if an affair can be avoided, it’s certainly better not to have one. Extramarital affairs are also an issue in the operation of Universe Club, and, if possible, I would prefer to avoid them. I believe dating clubs primarily appeal to people whose marriages have broken down but who, for various reasons, cannot get divorced, yet still want romance in their lives while keeping the risks to a minimum. That’s why, in the future, I’d even like to make either “proof that the marriage has broken down” or “approval from one’s partner” a condition for membership. We’re currently running a campaign for members offering both parties ¥300,000 if they marry someone they met through the club. The idea is that “we would also be happy if, while we’re introducing you to someone you can build a long-term relationship with, you happen to find your lifelong partner.” For now, that’s the direction we’re taking, so it would be difficult to develop a service that encourages extramarital affairs. It might be possible if the relationship were built around what sociologist Sakatsume calls “positive extramarital sex.” As society becomes more diverse and the institution of marriage based on monogamy increasingly shows its limitations, perhaps we could facilitate extramarital relationships intended to protect and bring happiness to one’s family, career, and oneself. However, I don’t think people having affairs have the time or capacity to think through something that complicated, so it would be difficult.