Lover, come back to me

A decade after the appearance of professional splitters who specialized in ending relationships at the request of an unhappy partner, Japan has a boom in the opposite - services that promise to reunite couples months, and sometimes years, after they have parted. Ladies Secret Service, a private detective agency in Tokyo, has successfully rekindled romances on behalf of hundreds of people who are prepared to spend huge sums on their quest.The agency's president, Yoshiko Okawa, employs about 300 people selected for their ability to befriend their targets and convince them that breaking up with, or divorcing, a spouse was the biggest mistake of their lives. Her team of fukuenya - 'those who restore bonds' - use hi-tech surveillance, counselling and deception.'After they have won the target's trust, they might mention our client in passing and feign amazement when they realize they have a mutual acquaintance,' Okawa said. 'All the while, our agents are learning as much about their new friend as possible and devising a plan to reunite him or her with our client.'In 2005, Ladies Secret Service received 110 requests for help; in 2007, it handled more than 800 cases. About 70 per cent of its clients are women between 20 and 40, who are prepared to spend up to $6,500 a month for the chance of a successful reunion.When the obstacle to a possible reconciliation is a third person, the agents face the task of engineering the end of one relationship before they can repair the other.Fukuenya carry out their operations in utmost secrecy. Even when attempts at reconciliation are successful, the targets must never learn how they came about, says Okawa.Okawa puts her success rate at around 50 per cent and believes that, as long as Japan can stave off a major financial recession, more lovelorn people will seek her help. 'When the economy was in real trouble, people tended to give up on relationships too easily,' she said. 'Now that they have more money they are naturally more optimistic, even about winning back old flames.

''Lover, come back to me' by Justin McCurryCopyright The GuardianThis adapted text Copyright Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

What do you think of these services that reunite couples?
Do you agree with their methods?Do you think the reunited couples will stay together?
What factors do you think are important in helping couples stay together?