Japan’s birth rate has hit a new record low as the government has begun trying to encourage marriage and family formation and even launched its dating app, CNN reported.
Japan’s birth rate hits record low
Just 727,277 babies were born last year in the country of 123.9 million people, according to new figures from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The fertility rate – the total number of children born in a woman’s lifetime – fell from 1.26 to 1.20.
To maintain a stable population, the fertility rate should be 2.1. High numbers indicate population growth with a high proportion of children and youth, as seen in India and many African countries.
But experts say Japan’s fertility rate has been below 2.1 for half a century, falling below that level after the 1973 global oil crisis and never recovering. The downward trend has accelerated recently, with deaths outnumbering births each year, a shrinking population, and far-reaching effects on Japan’s workforce, economy, welfare system, and social structure.
The country will record 1.57 million deaths in 2023, twice the number of births. In addition, the number of marriages fell by 30,000 last year and the number of divorces rose.
Due to the demographic structure of the country, experts predict that this decline will continue for decades. Even after a sudden increase in the birth rate, the population will continue to decline until the ratio of young to old reaches equilibrium.
To mitigate this impact, the government created new agencies to focus on the problem and tried to expand childcare facilities, offering housing subsidies to parents and even birth insurance in some cities. Activities such as couples paying for this have been done.
Local governments in Tokyo are testing a new approach: a government dating app currently in early testing and expected to be fully operational later this year. The app asks users to take a “value diagnosis test” and allows them to identify the qualities they want in a partner.
The app’s website, which is powered by the Tokyo government’s AI-powered matchmaking system, advises that please use it as a ‘first step’ to start your marriage search. The app aims to match users with compatible partners based on value.
The dating app’s website also highlights other government measures to support couples, including work-life balance, childcare, housing support, men’s housework and childcare, and career guidance.
The website explains: “Marriage is a decision based on a person’s values, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is promoting marriage so that those who think they might be ‘thinking about getting married’ can take the first step.
To use the app, users must be single, over the age of 18, “want to get married,” and live or work in Tokyo.
The Japanese government also hopes that the effort will encourage those seeking to marry to reflect on the meaning of the relationship and take steps toward this important life decision.
“We hope any of you interested in marriage will think about what a relationship means to you,” the official dating site says. Described as the “first step” to marriage, the app uses an artificial intelligence matchmaking system developed by the Tokyo government. Users take a “diagnostic value test” to determine compatibility, with the option to specify desired characteristics in a partner.
According to CNN, tech giant Elon Musk supported the Japanese initiative and emphasized the importance of fighting declining birth rates.
But experts have warned against an end-of-the-world scenario, saying that while demographic changes are transformative, countries like Japan will not disappear.
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