Tokyo plans to launch its own dating app as early as this summer as part of a government push to boost Japan’s birth rate, an official has confirmed.
To use the app, users will have to provide documents confirming their marital status and sign a declaration of readiness to enter into marriage. In addition, unlike typical dating apps in Japan, which also require income, the metropolitan app will require a special tax certificate that confirms the user’s annual salary.
A high percentage of people in Japan who want to get married do not use the available dating platforms or attend events that match potential couples (and such events do take place). The city government wants to motivate this group to look for life partners. 70% of people who want to get married do not join such initiatives.
Japan’s birth rate hit an all-time low in 2023, and matchmaking events are nothing new. But it’s rare for local governments to create dating apps themselves. The app’s sign-up process will include an interview to confirm users’ identities.
The introduction of the app has sparked mixed reactions on social media. Some users are skeptical, wondering whether such initiatives should be funded by taxes. Others, however, have expressed moderate interest (at least for now), saying the app will provide them with a greater sense of security. In the case of other programs of this type, women are primarily concerned about cases of harassment, as well as… fraudsters or fraudsters who post false information on their profiles.
Japan recorded more than twice as many deaths as births in 2023, illustrating the serious demographic problems facing the Land of the Rising Sun. The number of births fell for the eighth year in a row to 758,631. During the same period, the number of deaths was 1,590,503.
The growing demographic decline means huge problems in terms of labour shortages – Japan, on the other hand, is somewhat closed to immigrants. Hence, a lot is being invested in programmes aimed at increasing the birth rate. Among the proposed measures are financial aid for families, easier access to childcare for working parents and more parental leave. Will the problem be solved? We will probably find out in a few or a dozen years – but one thing is for sure, Japan is one of the fastest aging countries and the problem is very visible there.