I’m a woman in my 20s considering joining. I’m married, but could I tell the staff that I’m married while having my profile list me as single?

I’m Date◎Yume, a male member. I don’t mind whether someone is married or single, but I’d appreciate it if things didn’t turn into problems later on, haha. As long as that’s assured, I’m perfectly satisfied.

I’m Maezawa from the president’s office, and I’ll answer this as well. Actually, women’s profiles don’t include a field indicating whether they’re married. We also don’t ask men whether they’re married. The reason is that if we asked about marital status and then arranged a meeting with a married person, we could potentially be accused of encouraging an unlawful act—namely, an affair—so we avoid touching on the subject. Of course, since Universe is a company that arranges meals, we could argue that arranging a meal with a married person does not itself encourage an unlawful act. However, we might still be accused of arranging the meeting while foreseeing the possibility that the relationship could develop into an unlawful act through consensual dating after the meal. So, we don’t ask men whether they’re married, and there’s no such field on women’s profiles either. For some reason, though, women’s profiles sometimes include fields for previous marriages and whether they have children. Despite this being meant to refer to a person’s marriage history, and despite everything I mentioned above, some staff members also ask women questions like, “Are you currently married?” Once they’ve asked, the woman’s marital status is stored internally in case a man inquires. So even if it isn’t displayed on her profile, staff will provide the information if asked. In other words, staff can’t lie to men. Once they’ve asked the woman, they’re obligated to disclose it. Also, men who make these inquiries generally don’t want to pursue someone who is married because it would constitute an affair. Even if a staff member lied and arranged the meeting, no one would be happy. If you’re absolutely certain it won’t be discovered, I think you would need to deceive not only the man but also the staff. Of course, if the truth comes out, the staff may decide that they can no longer recommend you. Normally, though, I don’t think it will be discovered unless you mention it yourself. If the man was told that you were single, then even if the truth comes out, there’s also a greater chance that he won’t be able to claim compensation from you. This arrangement is based partly on mutual trust, so I think it would be better to be honest and explain the situation as it is. Ultimately, though, I think the decision is up to you.

I’m Kazu, a male member. False information in a profile can lead to complaints from male members, so you shouldn’t be able to put anything untrue in your profile. You should probably assume that the staff can only help you create an alibi by leaving things out of your profile or pretending that you’ve withdrawn your membership.