More than 50 police officers and rescuers, two helicopters and several ships were searching for the men off the coast of Hyogo prefecture, a police spokesman said, 24 hours after they disappeared.
The two “went missing when they jumped into the sea from a breakwater for the purpose of filming an entertainment video for a friend’s wedding ceremony” the spokesman told AFP.
Seven other friends were involved in the filming, private broadcasters Fuji Television and Nippon TV said, adding the two missing men were in a state of undress at the time of the incident.
Japan has been lashed by powerful winter storms over recent weeks, and meteorologists had warned of strong winds and a big swell over the weekend.