"Government Thoroughly Verifies, Meet with Confidence"... Japan Takes Direct 'Matchmaking' Approach to Low Birthrate

"1 in 4 Couples Meet and Marry Through Dating Apps"

The total fertility rate was recorded at 1.2, the lowest since records began in 1899, prompting the Japanese government to recently develop a dating app to encourage meetings between unmarried men and women.

The idea is for local governments to directly arrange matches with individuals whose identities have been thoroughly verified, for those who want to find a partner but feel uneasy using private dating apps.

Tokyo Metropolitan AI Matching Service.
Photo by Tokyo Metropolitan

The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 4th that Tokyo Metropolitan Government is independently developing a couple matching app set to launch this summer. Tokyo’s total fertility rate is 0.99, the only metropolitan area in Japan that has not surpassed 1.

Following an unprecedented directive from the Japanese government, Tokyo began developing the app two years ago with an investment of about 500 million yen (approximately 4.4 billion won).

To register for the app, users must undergo a strict verification process. They must submit an ID with a photo and enter personal information across 15 categories including height, highest education level, occupation, and income. If the user has no income, they must indicate "0 yen."

Users are required to have an interview with the app operator and sign a pledge stating that they are seeking a marriage partner, not just a casual companion. Unlike private dating apps that only have a "report" function, this government-backed app implements thorough verification procedures to prevent problems in advance.

This app is an expanded version of the AI partner recommendation service that Tokyo began piloting online in December last year. Anyone who is single, aged 18 or older, and living or working in Tokyo can register and use the service.

A Tokyo Metropolitan Government official explained to Asahi, "We want to support people who are interested in marriage but have not been able to find a partner."

Tokyo is not the first in Japan to arrange meetings. Miyagi Prefecture, which has the second lowest total fertility rate after Tokyo, launched and operates a local unmarried youth matching site called "Miya Mari" in 2021. Okinawa Prefecture, which has the highest fertility rate in Japan, also announced plans to start a couple matching service this year, citing a rise in the unmarried rate. Saitama Prefecture has been operating an online matching service since 2018. As of March, nearly 20,000 people had registered, resulting in 458 couples getting married.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.