September 17, 2024, 7:50 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Whether Sony, Nintendo, or Panasonic – the list of successful Japanese companies in the tech sector is long. However, the fact that Tokyo Prefecture is attracting international attention with the development of a dating app, of all things, seems rather unusual. TECHBOOK knows the background of the Tokyo Futari story.
The trend of young people meeting primarily through dating apps is a phenomenon that crosses national borders. In Japan, the Tokyo prefectural government is now also getting involved in the search for partners for singles and is developing its own dating app. The project is called Tokyo Futari Story. It is aimed at single residents of the Japanese capital and the surrounding area. But if you want to use the app, you have to prove that you are serious.
Tokyo’s dating app for a higher birth rate
Futari (ふたり) means something like “two” or “two people.” The app employs artificial intelligence to find the ideal match for users. Although many dating apps promise this, the aim of Tokyo Futari Story is to bring together people who are ready to marry rather than to arrange short-lived dates. To this end, not only personal data, preferences, and values are recorded in a questionnaire, but users must verify their identity through an online interview and provide a tax assessment to confirm income and marital status. In principle, it is not unusual in Japan to disclose your financial background. However, the state app is also intended to protect against dating fraud through the complex verification process.
What sounds like a lot of effort for a date actually has a political background. Since the global oil crisis in 1973 and the national recession, the birth rate in Japan has been falling steadily. The result is an increasingly aging society. In 2023, Japan recorded twice as many deaths as births. The average birth rate in 2024 is 1.2 children born to a woman in her lifetime. By comparison, the birth rate in Germany is 1.61, with a slight upward trend since 2016. However, for a country’s population to remain stable, the birth rate must be 2.1 children per woman.
The impact of aging on the Japanese economy, social systems, and prosperity is devastating. Therefore, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s dating app aims to unite individuals interested in marriage, with the goal of boosting the birth rate over time.
Singles are skeptical
“Please use the application as a ‘first step’ into your married life,” says the Tokyo Futari Story website. A government official in charge of the project told the Japan Times: “We have learned that 70 percent of people who want to get married do not actively attend events or use apps to find a partner. We want to give them a gentle nudge to find someone.”
However, Tokyo residents are expressing skepticism about the government’s initiative. On the one hand, there are already dating apps, but on the other, the registration process seems daunting. While some welcome the security measures through personal verification, others criticize the possible lack of data protection vis-à-vis the state. Critics also argue that the Tokyo prefectural government should allocate taxpayer funds to alternative strategies rather than relying on a dating app to address the declining birth rate.
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Tokyo Futari Story advises on family life
Japan’s Cabinet Secretary and government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi had announced, among other things, greater childcare provision and higher wages for young workers. By 2026, an annual investment of 22 billion euros is planned to incentivize having children. Reasons for the persistently low birth rate include the high (training) costs and pressure to perform, as well as the very conservative expectations of mothers, who traditionally leave the workforce with their first child. Consequently, this leads to a heightened risk of poverty, economic dependence, and a nationwide staffing shortage. In addition, people in Japan are marrying later and later. Moreover, the pandemic and its economic consequences are still having an impact on the birth rate.
A free trial version of Tokyo Futari Story has been available for browsers since December 2023. The smartphone app is under development, with the full suite of features expected to roll out throughout 2024. In addition to the match-making algorithm, the dating app also includes an overview of government support for couples. This provides information on childcare services, career advice, reconciling work and family life, and the husband’s involvement in housework and raising children.