'First step to marriage hunting': Japan launches dating app to boost fertility rate

NEW DELHI: In a bid to boost the falling fertility rate of Japan, local officials in Tokyo have launched an AI-based dating app which is scheduled to get operational by the end of the year, CNN reported.
“Please use it as ‘the first step’ to begin marriage hunting,” the app's website says adding, “Based on your values and the values you seek in a partner, which can be determined by taking a diagnostic test, AI will introduce you to a compatible person.”
“What cannot be measured by appearance or conditions alone may lead to unexpected encounters,” the app reads.
The app received appreciation from Elon Musk who called it a "radical action". In a post on X, Musk said, “I’m glad the government of Japan recognizes the importance of this matter. If radical action isn’t taken, Japan (and many other countries) will disappear!”

Calling it a move to build momentum for marriage, the app's website says, “Marriage is a decision based on one’s own values, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is working to build momentum for marriage so that those who think they ‘intend to get married eventually’ can take that first step.”
Scientists claim that Japan's fertility rate has been far below the steady benchmark of 2.1 over the past 50 years after the country's economy entered a recession in 1973 as a result of the worldwide oil crisis, and it never fully recovered.
Japan's health ministry said that 7,27,277 births were registered in the nation of 123.9 million people last year. Further, the country also witnessed a decline in the fertility rate from 1.26 to 1.20.