The record number of single men living in the UK could soon be fielding offers from the Orient.

A dating agency has opened its first UK office to help single Japanese women find romance in Britain.

Destina Japan says many of the women believe Japanese men do not understand their need to have a career, but feel Western men are more open-minded.

Most clients live in the UK, but some are prepared to pay thousands of pounds to travel from Japan to meet a mate.

The company says its typical client is a professional woman in her 30s, earning around £50,000 a year.

They include doctors, entrepeneurs, lawyers and financial analysts, it says.

Destina Japan says 35% of Japanese women aged in their 30s are single.

Among 30- to 34-year-olds, that figure rises to more than 40%, it said.

'Modern attitude'

They are still outnumbered by single Japanese men, but many women are rejecting the idea of a traditional marriage.

Hiroko Ozawa, founder of Destina Japan, said: "We have hundreds of female members living in Japan who want to date men in the UK," she said.

"Japanese women like the fact that British men have a modern attitude to family life and marriage as well as a deep respect for the traditional aspects of the Japanese culture."

Statistics suggest there should be plenty of potential partners in Britain.

Figures released last week showed there are 1.65 million single men aged between 30 and 39 in the UK, compared with 1.27 million women in the age group.

The study, from the University of Edinburgh, found men aged between 25 and 44 were twice as likely as women to live by themselves.