Tokyo's government is launching an extraordinary dating app that hopes to combat the population decline - in a move that has chilling echoes of the sci-fi drama 'Black Mirror'.
Officials are in the process of creating the "Tokyo Futari Story" which hopes to create couples in a city where it is increasingly common to be alone. City hall hopes to offer the app to residents later this year which will be accessible through mobile phones and the web, according to officials.
Although details are still undecided, City Hall declined to comment on local media reports that suggest an app will require a confirmation of identity, such as a driver’s licence, your tax records to prove income, and a signed form that says you are ready to get married. Officials have announced that the fee-based app by the Toky Metropolitan government could be launched as early as this summer.
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The name appears to be a reference to the Japanese word for couple, 'futari', as it becomes increasingly common in the country to be 'hitori', or alone. It has been reported that the app will require users to submit documents proving they are legally single, along with a tax certificate slip to prove their annual salary.
Reports indicate that users would be made to enter 15 items of personal information, including height, educational background and occupation following a mandatory interview with the app's operator. The city's administration is said to have allocated 200m yen ($1m) in its budget in 2023 and 300m yen (£1.5m) for 2024 to promote marriages through apps and other projects.
The app has been compared to Charlie Brooker's 'Black Mirror' which is a hit sci-fi television series on Netflix that covers topics like virtual reality, revenge porn, relationships and the damage technology can cause. The idea behind the app is to help boost relationships as marriage is on the decline in Japan as the country’s birth rate fell to an all-time low, according to health ministry data Wednesday.
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Last year there were 474,717 marriages, down from 504,930 in 2022 while births totaled 727,277, down from 770,759. The reports also said the app may ask for your height, job, and education but the official denied anything was decided.
On the national level, the government has been trying to solve a serious labour shortage by promising cash payments for families with children and supporting child-care facilities. It’s also relaxed immigration policy over the years to encourage an influx of foreign workers.
During the so-called “baby boom” era of the 1970s, Japan recorded more than 2 million births a year. Like many young adults around the world today, fewer Japanese are interested in old-style marriage or having children.
There are concerns that Japanese workplace norms tend to lead to extremely long hours and rarely meeting people outside work. Some say raising children is expensive. Tokyo City Hall is also sponsoring events where singles can meet, couples can get counseling on marriage and where lovers can have their stories of how they first met turned into manga comics or songs.