The Japanese government is trying to encourage young people to get married and become parents with the help of a dating app after the birth rate has dropped to a record low.
The fertility rate in Japan, which has plummeted in recent years, has reached another record low, prompting the government to increase its efforts to encourage young people to get married and start families. And these efforts include launching a dating app, according to CNN.
In Japan, a country with 123.9 million inhabitants, there were 727,277 births last year, according to data published by the Ministry of Health. The fertility rate (the number of births per woman over her lifetime) has decreased from 1.26 to 1.20.
For a population to remain at a stable level, it needs a fertility rate of 2.1. Any value above this level will lead to a population with a high proportion of children and young people, as seen in India and African countries.
But in Japan, the fertility rate has fallen well below 2.1 for half a century, after the 1973 oil crisis plunged the economy into recession, experts say.
The downward trend has accelerated in recent years in this country, with the number of deaths surpassing births annually and causing a population decline, with consequences for the workforce, the social security system, and the entire economy.
In 2023, Japan recorded 1.57 million deaths, twice as many as births, according to data from the Ministry of Health cited by AP.
Even the number of marriages offers no hope for the future: the number of marriages decreased by 30,000 last year, while divorces increased.
Experts say the decline will continue for at least a few decades and is inevitable, due to the population structure. Even if, absurdly, the fertility rate were to increase tomorrow, the Japanese population will continue to decline because there is an unfavorable imbalance between the number of young people and the elderly.
The Japanese government is now trying to reduce the impact of this trend and has set up new agencies focusing on this demographic issue.
Authorities have launched several initiatives, such as expanding childcare facilities, offering subsidies for housing to young parents, and in some cities, even providing cash incentives to couples to have children.
In Tokyo, authorities have adopted a new strategy by launching a government dating app.
The AI-based app is currently in the testing phase and will become fully operational next year. The website states that it should be used as "a first step" towards marriage.
Users are required to take a "values determination test," but there is also an option to input desired traits in a future partner. "Based on your own values and those you seek in a partner, which can be determined through a diagnostic test, AI will introduce you to a compatible person," the website mentions.
Users must be single, over 18 years old, willing to get married, and live or study in Tokyo.
The app has also caught the attention of Elon Musk, who praised the Japanese government's initiative. "I'm glad that the Japanese government recognizes the importance of this issue. Without radical measures, Japan (and many other countries) will disappear!" the billionaire wrote.
Such a scenario is unlikely, as it is expected that the fertility rate will eventually stabilize, and the situation will improve, according to experts. At that point, they say, Japan could look very different, from demographic structure to the economy and internal policies, but this nation will not simply disappear.
T.D.