There is a new and hot market in Japan to polish men and help them find their lifelong partners.

Bridegroom School, a non-profit group in Nagoya, offers lectures and seminars for men who are in their 30’s so they can improve their appearance, manners and communication skills, reports the Nikkei Associe magazine.

Marriage consultants and lectures in this school tell participants that they are running out of time and if they are to tackle partner hunting they should do so with the same vigour as work.

Bridegroom School is not alone in this business. Sunmark Life Creation Co. opened a finishing school for men in November. It has courses on manners and appearance and tips on dates.

Sunmark charges about $1,200 for 14 sessions.

Other schools and services help men get their face waxed, colour-coordinate their clothes and assess the personalities of women.

Although men can invest in their clothing, they need most to build on their conversation skills, industry experts say.

Japan is worried about the nation’s low fertility rate. In 2005 it went down at 1.25 from 1.29 in 2004.

The government has sought help from marriage consultation services to push eligible men to get better mating results.

The marriage consultation services have nationwide memberships of about 600,000 people.

Kiyoharu Ohashi, a marriage consultant and lecturer, says men need to get a move on as they cannot fight their age.

Japan is at a high risk of becoming a nation of lonely old men, he noted.

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