Is this just to add drama in japanese manga/drama or is it true?

Question:

So I noticed that in many drama and manga the guy or the girl is required to marry a guy/girl her/his parents picked. I was wondering if this kind of stuff still happens in Japan. I know not everything in manga/drama is true and sometimes things are added to create more drama.
So I was wondering about this fact.

Please help.

Thanks!

Answer:

Not the way I am interpreting what you are saying. But there are still omiai, more of an arranged meeting with the idea of marriage being considered. Even though the parents are at this meeting, the couple is supposedly left alone for a while and the final decision is still supposedly up to the couple. One site says this is common. It's not something that I generally inquire about with people I know so I don't know really how common it is.