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Wakaresaseya

Japanese businesses that break up relationships

Wakaresaseya or wakaresase-ya (別れさせ屋; "breaker-uppers") are Japanese businesses that specialize in breaking up relationships, often by drawing one of the partners into an affair or by producing other incriminating evidence.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

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Wakaresaseya or wakaresase-ya (別れさせ屋; "breaker-uppers") are Japanese businesses that specialize in breaking up relationships, often by drawing one of the partners into an affair or by producing other incriminating evidence.2

The story

The activities of these agencies were first widely reported in about 2000, and in 2001 the TV network NTV aired a drama series Wakaresase-ya.

In 2005 there were around twelve such companies in Japan, but the field has grown since with companies offering services through the internet. In 2010 an internet search located some 270 wakaresaseya agencies.

The industry was especially reported on by Japanese and foreign media in 2010 when a former operative of a wakaresaseya agency was sentenced for murder.

He had fallen in love with a female target the company had assigned to him. After the true nature of the relationship came to light, she wanted to leave him and he killed her.

From Wikipedia’s article on Wakaresaseya, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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