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SCMP’s Asia desk

A Japanese prefecture is paying its singles to use dating apps as the country grapples with record-low birth rates.
Kochi prefecture announced on April 10 that it would subsidise private matchmaking app fees for its young residents, according to a Sankei News report.
Residents aged between 20 and 39 will get a subsidy of up to 20,000 yen (US$125) for the 2026 financial year to use apps that have received “internet-based marriage partner introduction service certification”.
One of these verified apps is believed to be Tapple, Japan’s most popular dating app. Last December, Kochi partnered with the app to promote safe and secure online dating.
“The going rate for annual membership fees is a little over 20,000 yen, so we set the amount to cover most of the cost,” a prefectural official told the newspaper.
The users will be surveyed when the year is up to track the effectiveness of the programme and help with future usage.
Other prefectures are also providing similar subsidies. Last year, Miyazaki prefecture gave out dating app subsidies of up to 10,000 yen per person.
The response to Kochi’s announcement was mixed online. Some lauded the initiative while others said that meeting was the easy part.
Critics cited barriers such as economic pressure, long working hours and the high cost of raising children, the International Business Times reported.
Japanese youth are increasingly turning to matchmaking apps to find life partners.
A 2024 survey by Japan’s Children and Families Agency found that one in four married individuals under the age of 39 reported meeting their spouse via dating apps.
The internet was a more common meeting place than the traditional venues of work or school.

Japan has one of the world’s most serious demographic issues.
The problem is especially acute in rural prefectures such as Kochi, whose population of around 650,000 has been declining over the years as young people leave to seek employment and education in larger cities.
Last year, Japan registered a little over 700,000 births, the lowest since record-taking began in 1899, the NHK reported, citing health ministry figures.
The number of births in 2025 was 705,809, down 2.1 per cent from the previous year. It marks the 10th consecutive year of decline.
Marriages, however, went up for the second straight year. There were 505,656 marriages last year, 5,657 more than in 2024.
Ministry officials told the public broadcaster they would continue to tackle the declining birth rate by working to increase young people’s incomes and help them balance work and childcare.


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Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps


Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps.


Ageing society

Dating

Japanese prefecture pays singles to use dating apps to battle low birth rates

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps

Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps