Japan’s birth rate is so low that the government of Japan’s largest city will take desperate measures to help couples find love.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s latest brainchild is to play Cupid by launching a dating app, and it has already allocated $1.28 million to launch it by the end of summer, according to a Japanese newspaper. The Asahi Shimbun reported. Unlike other dating services, the government-sponsored project has strict measures in place to address a major concern for people looking for love online: authenticity.
According to a study carried out in 2021 by Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., the outlet reported. In the United States, the Pew Research Center find that 63% of men under 50 said they had met a scammer on a dating app, while 44% of women across all age groups said the same.
To avoid these pitfalls, the new government-sponsored app will force users to comply with rigorous, and arguably onerous, requirements before signing up. To start swiping right, users will need to verify their income, submit a government document proving they are single, and complete an interview with the company that runs the app. All information will be available to potential matches. The new platform isn’t meant for casual dating either; users will have to sign a declaration stating that they are looking for a partner to marry.
While it doesn’t scream romance, Tokyo officials say many prerequisites are necessary to avoid some of the problems users have encountered with fake profiles on other apps.
“We hope that this app, together 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 a Tokyo official. The Asahi Shimbun.
Other dating apps exist in Japan, including U.S. platforms Tinder and Bumble, but the Tokyo government hopes its strict rules and disclosures can convince hesitant people to try the apps. Although it may seem far-fetched, dating apps are popular in Japan and often quickly connect couples for marriage. A study carried out in 2023 among just over 1,000 people by Japan’s largest life insurance company find that a quarter of those surveyed who got married within the year met their spouse on a dating app.
Japan’s birth rate fell to a record low of 1.20 in 2023, according to figures released Wednesday by the Japanese Ministry of Health. A birth rate of 2.1 per woman is necessary to maintain a generally stable population, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In Tokyo, the birth rate was even worse, falling to 0.99 for the first time on Wednesday. The 86,347 children born in Tokyo in 2023 constitute the lowest number of births since the end of World War II, according to The Asahi Shimbun.
It goes without saying that the Tokyo government is ready to do anything to bring back love.
“If there are many people interested in marriage but unable to find a partner; we want to provide our support,” the Tokyo official said. The Asahi Shimbun.
