AICHI, Jun 17 (News On Japan) - Aichi Prefecture is stepping up its efforts to support marriage as part of its measures to address the declining birthrate, offering not only events but also consultation services to assist individuals on the path to marriage.
Around 400 men and women gathered at the gymnasium of the Aichi Expo Memorial Park in Nagakute City for a matchmaking event. Now in its third year, the event is organized by the prefecture and offered free of charge.
"One of the objectives is to provide opportunities for people to meet as a measure against the rising number of unmarried and late marriages, which are factors contributing to the declining birthrate," said Takeshi of Aichi Prefecture's Child Support Division.
In addition to these free large-scale events, Aichi has expanded its marriage support efforts. While major events create opportunities to meet, they often do not provide sufficient follow-up, making it difficult for relationships to progress. To address this, the prefecture launched the Aichi Marriage Support Center, an online service that began full-scale operations in December last year.
"The Child Support Division oversees the Aichi Marriage Support Center. About half a year has passed since the service began. What kind of results have we seen so far?" asked announcer Uesaka.
The center uses AI technology to match participants. After matching, users can consult with professional advisors via chat or phone throughout the dating and marriage process, providing a hands-on support system.
As of the end of April, Takeshi reported, "So far, four couples have successfully married." The prefecture says 2,026 people have registered as of the same date. "We hope to see the number of registrants grow to 4,000 or 5,000. Our goal is to reach around 100 successful marriages per year," Takeshi added.
While Aichi aims to promote marriage support services as a countermeasure to the declining birthrate, public opinion is divided on the use of public funds for such programs. In a survey conducted by Me~tele, 45% of respondents opposed the use of public money for these matchmaking events, while 25% expressed support.
Supporters cited its potential to help address the falling birthrate and included parents of adult children who struggle to find partners on their own, with one parent saying, "My 25-year-old son doesn't seem capable of finding someone by himself, so I would appreciate this kind of help."
Opponents argued that private matchmaking services are sufficient and suggested that public funds would be better used for financial assistance and tax cuts to create a society more conducive to marriage and childbearing.
Addressing the mixed reactions, Takeshi said, "There are voices questioning whether this is something local governments should be doing, but I believe many people need and seek this kind of support, and we intend to continue providing it."
Social changes also appear to be driving the need for government-backed matchmaking. "People may wonder how the other person feels about them or ask for advice such as what outfit to wear on a date. Having access to this kind of consultation is one way we differ from conventional matchmaking apps," Takeshi explained. "Since it's increasingly difficult to talk about private matters at work, we hope people will take advantage of the prefecture’s service," she added.
Source: Nagoya TV News
