I found Kaori Shoji's Feb. 9 Bilingual page article, "Marriage has little to do with romantic love," quite interesting. However, what Shoji forgot to mention is that Japanese women are often more than ready to trade romance, love and even sex for a husband with a high and steady income.
Given the choice of entering a Western-style marriage with romance, love and excitement with a man who makes ¥4 million to ¥5 million a year or becoming a housewife in a Japanese-style marriage to a man who makes ¥7 million to ¥8 million, I have no doubt that the "Mitsue" cited in Shoji's article would choose the latter.
As a long-term resident in Japan, I have yet to meet a Japanese women who would prioritize an exciting and romantic marriage over a boring, albeit financially comfortable, one.