Japan asks young people for views on marriage amid population crisis

The Japanese government has begun to consult young people about their interest in marriage, or lack thereof, as Japan continues to struggle with a demographic crisis that is expected to result in a sharp population decline over the next decades.

Launched in April 2023, the Children and Families Agency held its first working group meeting on Friday to support young people in their efforts to find partners through dating, matchmaking and other means. Attenders included those considering marriage in the future and experts versed in the challenges facing youth.

The government recognised that ideas about marriage among young people are different now compared to what was once considered standard, an agency official said. The government has been seeking experts’ views on the problem and now wants to solicit the views of single people as well.

“The main premise is that marriage and child-rearing should be based on the respect for diverse values ​​and ways of thinking of individuals,” Ayuko Kato, the minister of state for policies related to children, told 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.”

The agency cited the results of a survey of single people, aged 25 to 34, showing 43.3% of men and 48.1% of women said they had no opportunity to meet potential partners in 2021. Many said they had not done anything to increase their chances, such as attending matchmaking events or asking friends for introductions.

Because comparatively few children are born out of wedlock in Japan, the decline of marriage has been cited as a key reason for its low birthrate and dwindling, ageing population. In 2023, the number of marriages dropped below 500,000 for the first time since the 1930s. Meanwhile, births dropped 5.1% to 758,631, a new record low and almost 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 have families because of 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 have jobs, or for women to return to full-time employment after having children.

Local governments have responded with measures ranging from daycare to matchmaking. In June, the Tokyo metropolitan government said it would launch a dating app as early as this summer.

The economist Takashi Kadokura said on a Yahoo Japan news blog that local government efforts to promote marriage are not working and marriages are not increasing because of the growing number of non-regular workers who find it financially difficult to start a family.