Last year, Japan recorded more than twice as many deaths as new babies.
In a rare move, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is launching its own dating app to promote marriage and boost the declining national birth rate. This new paid application, managed by a private entrepreneur, will be available this summer, Independent reported.
Users must provide documentation proving they are legally single and sign a letter stating they are willing to get married. The app also requires users to provide a tax slip to prove their annual salary.
An interview will also be required to confirm a user’s identity as part of the registration process for the Tokyo app, which has been in free testing since late last year. Once approved, users must state the “values” they are looking for in a partner. AI will then be used to connect people with compatible values.
“We learned that 70 percent of people who want to get married do not actively participate in partner-finding events or apps. We want to give them a gentle push to find one,” a Tokyo government official responsible for the new app told AFP.
”If there are many people who are interested in marriage, but cannot find a partner, we want to offer support. We hope that this app, in combination with the government, will provide a sense of security and encourage those who are hesitant to use traditional apps to take the first step in their search for a partner,” said another Tokyo official . The Asahi Shimbun as it says.
The app would give a “gentle nudge” to nearly “70 percent of people who want to get married” but not “actively participate in partner-finding events or apps,” another official told AFP.
X owner and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also responded to the development, praising the Japanese move. Replying to a tweet about the same, Musk said he is “glad” that Japan has recognized the importance of this issue. Mr. Musk has said in the past that we as a society need to increase our birth rate to combat an aging population.
I am glad that the Japanese government recognizes the importance of this issue.
If radical action is not taken, Japan (and many other countries) will disappear! https://t.co/5zTwRCQC3o
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2024
Last year, Japan recorded more than twice as many deaths as new babies. The number of births fell for the eighth year in a row to 758,631, a decline of 5.1 percent, preliminary government data showed. The number of deaths was 1,590,503.
One of the most commonly cited reasons why Japanese prefer to remain single is the lack of finances to get married and raise children. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called the decline in the birth rate the “most serious crisis facing our country” and said urgent steps must be taken to address Japan’s declining birth rate.
