Japan: Tokyo Government Launches Dating App For Singles Interested In Marriage

Would you believe that a government itself is promoting dating and sex? That is the case in Japan, where the Tokyo administration has launched a dating app for singles wanting to find a partner, marry, and make love. This move which has went viral on social media has reportedly come out as a means to tackle the issue of declining birth rates in the region. The government, through a dating app named Tokyo Futari Story, is urging people to fall in love and consider marriage and parenthood.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has launched the dating app, Tokyo Futari Story, with the aim to promote marriage and boost the declining national birth rate. Notably, the app only allows the participation of users who intend to marry after their dating process.

It is noted that many men, summing to nearly 32 percent of 50-year-olds, are unmarried in the capital city alongside 24 percent females who are single.

According to reports, the government's dating app is keen on easing the dating-to-marriage period in their desperate move to improve birth rates. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi was told the media, "“The declining birthrate is in a critical situation...The next six years or so until 2030, when the number of young people will rapidly decline, will be the last chance to reverse the trend.”

Notably, there's also financial aid being given to those wanting to marry and embrace parenthood. The city administration has reportedly allocated 300m yen (160890051.15 INR) for fiscal 2024 to promote marriages through apps and other projects.