An Internet survey asking Japanese men and women aged 20 to 39 which company they would like a potential marriage partner to work for ranked Nintendo number one.

The survey, conducted November 28 and 29, 2012, received 500 valid responses. Filling out the top five were All Nippon Airways (ANA), Tanita (electronic scales), Google and Apple. Reasons given for choices were wide-ranging including, “It’s a hot company,” and “My partner is unlikely to gain a middle-aged bulge (working there).”

TOP TEN FOR 2012
1. Nintendo: Previous Rank: 6
Reasons: I feel it’s constantly at the top of its industry and doesn’t falter (Female, 20s). Because I like games (Male, 20s).
2. All Nippon Airways: Previous Rank: 14
Reasons: It appears to be a forward-thinking and energetic company (Female, 20s). Salaries look good (Female, 30s). It would be great to marry a cabin attendant (Male, 20s).
3. Tanita: Previous Rank: —
Reasons: It looks like they take care to manage employees’ health (Male, 30s). My partner is unlikely to gain a middle-aged bulge working there (Female, 20s).
3. Google: Previous Rank: —
Reasons: Company has a cool image (Female, 30s). Company’s industry position going forward is thought to be secure (Female, 30s). Flexible working conditions (Male, 20s).
5. Apple: Previous Rank: —
Reasons: It’s a hot company (Female, 30s). Its products are selling well (Female, 30s).
6. Mitsubishi: Previous Rank: 20
Reasons: Company appears stable (Female, 30s). Appears to have a lot of people who are active globally (Female, 20s). High salary (Male, 20s).
7. Shiseido: Previous Rank: 50
Reasons: It has an image of taking good care of its employees (Male, 20s). I’m interested in beauty (Male, 20s). The company has made a good impression on me (Male, 20s).
8. East Japan Railway Company: Previous Rank: 22
Reasons: If my partner has detailed knowledge about railways it would be helpful (Male, 30s). Punctuality (Male, 20s).
9. The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ: Previous Rank: 19
Reasons: It’s a major corporation and thought to be stable (Female, 20s).
10. Suntory: Previous Rank: 10
Reasons: I buy their products a lot because they suit my tastes (Female, 20s).

Major electronics manufacturers, who dominated the upper rankings in 2011, fell dramatically due to their recent poor corporate performances with Panasonic dropping from 1st to 40th, Sony falling from 2nd to 11th, and Sharp plummeting all the way down to 125th from 5th place. On the other side, foreign IT companies which have remained strong in the smartphone and tablet markets, and major trading companies benefiting from soaring resource prices have gained in popularity.

Males tended to pick companies in the foodstuffs or cosmetics industries as the ideal places from which to choose a wife, suggesting they were focused on beauty and life essentials. Females, on the other hand, were inclined to rank trading companies and banks in the upper bracket, demonstrating a desire that their potential partner work at a stable company and have a relatively high salary.

As to what traits people desired the most in the company of a potential partner, 41.4% of respondents chose stability (same as the previous year), making it the number one pick. This was followed by (multiple responses allowed):
2. Good Salary 35% Previous rank: 3
3. Treats employees well 30% 2
4. Saturday & Sunday off 27.4% 8
5. Good paid holiday system 22.4% 9
6. Good child rearing support 22.0% 10
7. Good future prospects 17.4% 5
8. Good bonuses 16.0 7
9. Little overtime work 15.2% 15
10. Good pension and retirement benefits 14.6% 6

Looking at desired traits according to gender revealed that female respondents emphasized money-centric attributes such as “good salary,” “good future prospects,” and “good pension and retirement benefits,” indicating that in addition to stability, they were seeking partners with good future earning potential. Males, on the other hand, gave high marks to characteristics such as “child raising support,” “little overtime,” “reliability,” and “good paid holiday system” when ranking traits they would like to see in their potential wife’s company, indicating they were looking for someone would also have time to take care of household duties.

Source: Business Media