The Tokyo government launched a new dating app on smartphones with artificial intelligence to help single people take the first step.
The Tokyo Enmusubi (dating in Tokyo) app is available for people over the age of 18 who live in the Japanese capital or commute there for work. Users register on the app, but once registered, they must complete an online interview and provide a photo ID and proof of income and that they are not legally married to ensure safety on the platform.
The artificial intelligence technology of the service would suggest each other’s potential love interests based on an assessment of 110 questions. People can search for partners based on qualities they desire. Registration costs 11,000 yen ($77) and membership is valid for two years.
The government’s solution is part of a broader effort to raise Japan’s fertility rate. Tokyo intends to support singles and families at different stages of their lives, from first meeting to marriage, childbirth and parenting.
Dating apps have proven particularly popular among people in their 20s and older. People born in the late 1990s and early 2000s therefore value dating apps as a tool for prioritising cost and time efficiency, the Agency for Children and Families said.
