Mergers and acquisitions are making headlines as companies increasingly seize on consolidations to generate quick profits to reward shareholders and cope with intensifying competition in a saturated domestic market.

A record 2,775 M&A deals involving Japanese companies were announced in 2006, up 1.8 percent from the previous year, according to M&A service company Recof Corp. There were 2,010 M&As during the January-September period this year.

But the hard part is keeping the marriage a happy one.