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Japan’s fertility rate has reached another record low as the government intensifies efforts to encourage marriage and family formation, even launching its own dating app, reported CNN.
The nation of 123.9 million recorded just 727,277 births last year, according to new data released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The fertility rate – the total number of births a woman has in her lifetime – dropped from 1.26 to 1.20.
To maintain a stable population, a fertility rate of 2.1 is required. A rate above this indicates population growth, with a significant proportion of children and young adults, as seen in India and many African nations.
However, Japan’s fertility rate has been below the 2.1 mark for half a century, experts note, 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, leading to a shrinking population and wide-ranging consequences for Japan’s workforce, economy, welfare system, and social structure.
In 2023, the country recorded 1.57 million deaths, more than double the number of births. Additionally, the number of marriages dropped by 30,000 last year, while divorces increased.
Experts predict this decline will continue for several decades, partly due to the country’s population structure. Even with a sudden increase in the fertility rate, the population will continue to fall until the ratio of young people to older adults balances out.
To mitigate the impact, the government has launched new agencies focusing on this issue and introduced initiatives such as expanding child care facilities, offering housing subsidies to parents, and even paying couples to have children in some towns.
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In Tokyo, local officials are trying a new approach: A government-run dating app, currently in early testing phases and expected to be fully operational later this year. The app encourages users to take a "values diagnostic test" and allows them to specify desired traits in a partner.
“Please use it as ‘the first step’ to begin marriage hunting,” the app’s website advises, noting that the AI-matchmaking system is provided by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The app aims to introduce users to compatible partners based on their values.
The dating app’s website also highlights the government’s other measures to support couples, including providing information on work-life balance, child care, housing support, men’s participation in housework and child-rearing, and career counselling.
“Marriage is a decision based on one’s own values, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is working to build momentum for marriage so that those who think they ‘intend to get married eventually’ can take that first step,” the website states.
To use the app, users must be single, over 18 years old “with a desire to get married,” and either living or working in Tokyo.
The Japanese government also hopes these efforts will inspire those wishing to marry to consider what being in a couple means to them and take steps towards this significant life decision.
“We hope that every single one of you who wishes to get married will think about what being in a ‘couple’ means to you,” the government dating website said.
