You’d be forgiven for thinking that “rural matchmaking” sounds like the latest reality TV show.
But think again! Instead, it’s a deliberate policy from Japan’s government to encourage single women to move from Tokyo to rural areas to find partners and get married. The government hopes this initiative will help reverse the trend of young women staying in Tokyo for education or work, which has led to fewer single women in rural areas compared to single men, heightening depopulation problems.
According to The Japan Times, the government plans to cover travel expenses for matchmaking events and offer extra financial incentives to women who participate.
The 2020 national census shows that in 46 of Japan’s 47 prefectures (excluding Tokyo), there were about 9.1 million single women aged 15 to 49. This is around 20 percent less than the 11.1 million single men in the same age group, with some areas showing a gap of up to 30 percent.
More women than men have been moving to the greater Tokyo area in recent years and many do not return to rural regions after moving for school or work.
The new program will expand on an existing subsidy, offering up to $7,000 to women who move from Tokyo’s 23 wards to rural areas.
Japan is grappling with a significant demographic challenge as its birth rate hit a record low last year, with only 727,277 births and a fertility rate of 1.20—far below the 2.1 needed for a stable population.
To address the declining population and its impact on the workforce and economy, the government has rolled out various initiatives including the above. Such incentives include payments for couples to have children, more childcare facilities, and even a government-backed dating app in Tokyo that uses AI to help singles find matches.
“If there are many people who want to get married but can’t find a partner, we want to help,” a Tokyo official told The Asahi Shimbun.
“We hope this app, with its government support, will make people feel more secure and encourage those hesitant to use traditional apps to start their search for a partner.”
While some experts warn against fears of a societal collapse, Japan is actively looking for ways to promote marriage and family growth to counter its demographic decline. But whether women buy into it remains to be seen.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has described the falling birth rates as the “gravest crisis our country faces.”