Japanese officials are encouraging their single citizens to get out and mingle through the promotion of dating apps in a bid to foster marriage amid record low birth rates.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been at the forefront of such efforts and is expected to launch its own government-backed dating app as early as this year.
Already, it has been running a dating app test program called “Tokyo Futari Story,” which aims to match individuals using artificial intelligence. “Futari” refers to a pair or couple in Japan, a country where remaining single and unmarried has become increasingly normalized.
Tokyo Futari Story asks participants to submit various identification documents, including tax forms verifying annual income and an official certificate of single status. Users also take a diagnostic test so the app can learn about their values and what they’re looking for in a partner.
According to local paper The Asahi Shimbun, the official fee-based version of the app will also require users to sign a pledge promising they are serious about finding a marriage partner rather than seeking a casual relationship.
Officials hope the app, operated by a private contractor, will eliminate credibility problems that have plagued existing dating apps, the paper said, adding that the city had invested $1.28 million in the project.
While the private contractor involved in “Tokyo Futari Story” has not been identified, at least one local government in Tokyo has signed a cooperation agreement with local dating app giant Tapple aimed at providing meeting and marriage support to citizens.
Tapple has signed at least six other partnership agreements with local governments across Japan, including Ureshino, Hokkaido and Himeji.
The company says it is working to help solve the issue of declining birth rates by raising awareness of safe and secure matching apps and promoting their appropriate use.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An unprecedented problem
In 2023, the number of babies born in Japan fell for an eighth straight year to a new record low, according to government data. Meanwhile, the number of marriages slid under half a million for the first time in 90 years, indicating potential for future declines.
Estimates by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research project Japan’s population will drop about 30% to 87 million by 2070, with 40% of citizens aged 65 or older based on recent trends.
This could have a detrimental effect on Japan’s workforce which is already suffering a serious labor shortage. Japanese workers are already putting in some of the longest hours in the world.
The potential impact on Japan’s society and economy has prompted its top government spokesperson to promise “unprecedented steps” to address the problem.
According to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office, the next six or seven years leading up to the 2030s are Japan’s last chance to reverse declining birthrates and it is accelerating a set of policies to do so.
Those policies include providing more funds for child-rearing and support for more child-care facilities in the country.
In addition to building its dating app, the capital city of Tokyo also sponsors events for singles to meet each other as part of its quest to promote marriage. The government has also published a number of guides providing dating and fashion advice, including recommended date spots in the city.
By CNBC