Japanese Government Set To Pay $30m Into Dating Industry
At the moment, one third of Japan’s young people have never been in a relationship, and as a result the country is seeing a decline in marriage rates and births.
And this is something that the Japanese government is trying to change, by providing funds to help matchmakers bring more people together.
A recent documentary called “Finding Love In Japan” by 101East, saw reporter Drew Ambrose look into the government’s attempts to change Japan’s dating culture.
He said: “600,000 couples tied the knot in Japan last year but the government wants to double that figure by 2020.
“To do it, they are spending US$30 million annually on projects that encourage matchmaking and marriage.”
In the documentary, Ambrose reveals the methods adopted by small towns such as Otari, where governments are providing funds for those hosting matchmaking events.
Otari’s mayor Hisashi Matsumoto said: “When young people organise matchmaking parties, we give government money to them.
“We pay for them to attend matchmaking parties in other cities.
“If we don’t, the population will drop dramatically and the town will die, so that’s why I have to do something to keep this community alive.”
And an even bigger threat to the dating crisis in Japan is “herbivore man” according to Ambrose.
These men are said to be so fed up of trying to find love, that they rely on life-sized dolls to fulfil their romantic needs by taking them on days out and considering them the equivalent of a human companion.
The documentary premiered on Al Jazeera English at 22:30 GMT on 18 August, 2016 on 101 East and will be repeated tonight at 5:30 (22 August at 05:30 GMT).
After today, the documentary will become available on YouTube here.
