"Detective! Night Scoop" (ABC TV, Fridays at 11:17 PM) is a popular variety show where "detectives" tackle bizarre requests and worries submitted by viewers. On March 20th, Detective Matsui Kemuri investigated the request, "I want you to say you love me." Second-generation secretary Okabe Mari appeared as a special director.
The request came from a 46-year-old woman in Miyagi Prefecture. "I've been married for 19 years this year. But I don't remember my husband ever saying 'I love you,' nor do I remember ever saying it to him. I remember seeing a past broadcast that had a survey asking, 'Do husbands in the world say "I love you" to their wives?' and 'Do wives feel happy when they hear it?' I remember watching it with excitement, finding the husbands' faces as they shyly said 'I love you,' and the wives' faces as they looked so happy to hear it, to be truly lovely."
The request was to investigate whether couples today regularly express their love for each other, or if, like the couple in question, they are unable to say "I love you." When the investigation began on the streets, surprisingly, many couples were found to be very much in love. On the other hand, when a husband who had never said "I love you" before suddenly confessed it over the phone, his wife became increasingly anxious, asking, "I love you too, but... why?"
Furthermore, a husband of 37 years boasts that he has said it many times, but because he has hearing problems, he confesses "I love you" to his wife via video call, only to be met with "What are you talking about? Gross!" Also, a couple who run a tea shop and have been married for 40 years attempt to say "I love you" for the first time while looking at each other's faces.
