Local Governments Arrange Directly... Identity Guarantee with Certificates
'Metaverse Matching' Also Emerges in Kyoto City
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that starting next year, it will launch and provide its own matching application (app) to facilitate marriage arrangements for residents within the prefecture. This is a promotional effort by the local government to firmly guarantee the identities of users who feel uneasy about general matching apps. In Japan, where low birth rates are a serious social issue, an increasing number of local governments are directly engaging in marriage matchmaking.
A garden party poster hosted by Tokyo Metropolitan Government for single men and women. It indicates that the event is limited to singles who have the intention to marry. (Photo by Tokyo Metropolitan Government)
On the 5th, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that Tokyo will introduce such an app from next year. Anyone aged 18 or older who resides in Tokyo or attends school or works within the prefecture can register. The operation will be entrusted to a private company that has handled multiple local government marriage activities.
The distinguishing feature from other matching apps is the requirement to submit a certificate of single status. In Japan, the certificate of single status is based on the family register (koseki), so it can only be obtained by visiting the local government office of one's registered domicile and requesting issuance. Since this procedure takes time, utilizing it can prevent cases where married individuals approach others for affairs or where the app is misused for fraudulent purposes. In short, the local government guarantees the identity of the people introduced, encouraging users to actively meet them.
Tokyo prepared this extraordinary measure because it holds the title of having the highest unmarried rate nationwide. According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, as of age 50 in 2020, Tokyo’s unmarried rate was 32.15% for men and 23.79% for women, the highest in the country.
Additionally, the recent trend in Japan of increasing "app marriages"?marriages initiated through matching apps?also played a role. According to a 2021 survey by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, among unmarried men and women, 14.5% used matching apps as their primary method for marriage activities, the highest proportion.
In Japan, the proportion of local governments engaging in marriage matchmaking is increasing. The intention is that recovering the number of marriages should lead to solving the low birth rate problem. Miyazaki City, for example, partnered in September with the company providing the matching app "Pairs," mainly used by people in their 20s and 30s, and directly distributed paid coupons from the city.
Metaverse marriage activities, where people meet without face-to-face contact, are also becoming more active. Kyoto City held a "VR Marriage Activity" event on the 18th of last month. Twenty-five men and ten women gathered, resulting in the formation of four couples.
Nikkei reported, "Local governments are adopting measures in response to changing times and are seeking solutions to the population decline problem."
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