The Japanese government has begun consulting young people about their interest in marriage, or lack thereof, as Japan continues to face a demographic crisis leading to a projected sharp population decline in the coming decades.
The Children and Families Agency, launched in April 2023, held its first working group meeting on Friday to support young people in finding partners through dating, matchmaking, and other means. The attendees included individuals considering marriage in the future and experts familiar with the challenges faced by younger people.
An agency official noted that current ideas about marriage among young people differ significantly from traditional standards. The government, seeking to understand these perspectives, has been consulting experts and now aims to hear directly from single individuals.
“The main premise is that marriage and child-rearing should be based on the respect for diverse values and ways of thinking of individuals,” said Ayuko Kato, the minister of state for policies related to children, addressing the gathering. “We would be grateful if we could hear your real voices – what you are thinking, what is preventing you from making your wishes come true.”
A survey cited by the agency, targeting single individuals aged 25 to 34, revealed that in 2021, 43.3% of men and 48.1% of women reported having no opportunities to meet potential partners. Many respondents indicated that they had not taken any steps to increase their chances, such as attending matchmaking events or asking friends for introductions.
Because relatively few children are born to unmarried people in Japan, the decline in marriage rates has been identified as a significant factor contributing to the country’s low birthrate and ageing population. In 2023, the number of marriages fell below 500,000 for the first time since the 1930s. Concurrently, births dropped 5.1% to 758,631, setting a new record low, nearly reaching 755,000—a figure the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research had predicted for 2035.
Surveys have shown that many young Japanese are reluctant to marry or start families due to concerns about the high cost of living in big cities, a lack of good jobs, and a work culture that makes it difficult for both partners to maintain employment or for women to return to full-time work after having children.
Local governments have responded with various measures, from providing daycare services to organizing matchmaking events. In June, the Tokyo metropolitan government announced plans to launch a dating app as early as this summer.
However, economist Takashi Kadokura, writing on a Yahoo Japan news blog, suggested that local government efforts to promote marriage were failing. He attributed this to the increasing number of non-regular workers who find it financially challenging to start a family.
