November 22 has been labeled as a day for celebrating couples in Japan, as the date can be read as "ii fuufu" (literally, "good couple"). One organization runs an annual Partner of the Year campaign, honoring one particular celebrity couple for their happy marriage. This year's winners were talento Hiromi and his wife, singer Iyo Matsumoto, who have been married since 1993.

The campaign also included a public vote for the "ideal couple," in which Hiromi and Matsumoto placed 11th. At the top of the list were George Takahashi and Mika Mifune, receiving more than twice as many votes as any other couple.