In Japan, the birth rate reached another record low amid attempts by Tokyo to step up efforts to encourage young people to marry and start families.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said Friday that new data showed only 727,277 births occurred last year in the country of 123.9 million people. Thus, the birth rate dropped from 1.26 to 1.20. To remain stable, the population needs a birth rate of 2.1. Anything above this level will lead to an increase in the population with a large proportion of children and young adults.
In recent years, the downward trend has accelerated: the number of deaths exceeds the number of births each year, resulting in a decrease in the total population. This tendency has disastrous consequences for Japan’s labour force, economy, welfare system and social structure.
According to the Ministry of Health, there will be 1.57 million deaths in 2023, more than double the number of births. In addition, marriage is also an issue as the number of marriages fell by 30,000 last year while divorce rates rose.
Experts say the decline will continue for at least several decades and will be somewhat irreversible because of the country’s population structure, according to expectations. Even if Japan raised its birth rate tomorrow, its population would continue to decline until the skewed ratio of young people to the elderly is balanced.
Tokyo is launching a government-run dating app
The government is now seeking to alleviate the situation in various ways, such as by opening government agencies that will focus on this very problem. The government has previously launched initiatives such as expanding childcare facilities and providing housing subsidies for parents.
Now, in the capital Tokyo, local officials are trying a new approach by launching a government dating app that is in the early stages of testing and will be fully operational later this year. The app runs on artificial intelligence and is provided by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The app’s website states:
Please use it as “the first step” to begin marriage hunting. Based on your values and the values you seek in a partner, which can be determined by taking a diagnostic test, AI will introduce you to a compatible person. What cannot be measured by appearance or conditions alone may lead to unexpected encounters. We hope that every single one of you who wishes to get married will think about what being in a “couple” means to you.
According to the app’s policy, users must be single, over 18, willing to get married and living or working in Tokyo, the website says. Hence, users will be able to take a “values diagnostic test” and indicate the desired qualities of a future partner.
