Mortgage loans specifically designed for couples are on the rise, amid soaring prices for newly built condominiums in the Tokyo metropolitan area and an increase in dual-income households, a recent study has found. “Pair loans,” two separate loans to cover the cost of purchasing a property, have proven particularly popular among younger couples as they can borrow larger amounts than if they applied individually. Married couples with pair loans accounted for 33.9 percent of contracts for new condominiums in and around the capital in 2023, the highest proportion since the study began in 2018, wh…