The government of Japan’s Kochi Prefecture announced on April 10 that it will be launching a subsidy program to support young people in finding romantic partners and getting married with the help of online dating apps. The maximum proposed amount is 20,000 yen (approx. $125 USD) per year.
Kochi Prefecture is located along the southern coast of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands nestled between central Honshu and southern Kyushu. With a population of just over 650,000, the vast majority of which are located in the capital Kochi City, it is one of the least populous prefectures in the country.
As the entirety of Japan has continued to struggle with falling birth rates and overall population decline each year, local governments like the prefectural one in Kochi have taken creative measures in an effort to reverse these troubling trends.
The initiative in Kochi will be made available to single adult residents between the ages of 20 and 39 for the duration of the 2026 fiscal year, on the condition that the applications used must be certified as “Internet-based marriage partner introduction services.” Membership fees for such apps tend to cost slightly more than 20,000 yen annually, so individuals looking to take advantage of this new offer will still have to cover some of the cost out of their own pockets.
Last December, Kochi Prefecture announced a partnership with Tapple, Japan’s most popular dating app, to promote safe and secure online dating with locals. While Tapple was not mentioned by name in the announcement of the subsidy program, it seems likely that they are among the government’s approved matchmaking services.
Kochi Prefecture isn’t the first place in Japan to adopt this tactic. In 2025, Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu (pop. 1.02 million) offered subsidies of up to 10,000 yen (approx. $62 USD) to cover the membership fees of similar marriage-oriented dating apps.
As Japan continues to advance toward an increasingly digital future, matchmaking applications are likely to play a more prominent role in the love lives of younger generations. In a 2024 survey by Japan’s Children and Families Agency, one in four married individuals under the age of 39 reported that they had met their spouse via dating apps, surpassing work and school as the most common way for young couples to meet and eventually marry.
Time will tell if these government-subsidized programs yield the increased birth rate and population growth they are designed to achieve, but if nothing else, this certainly indicates the Japanese government’s willingness to meet the younger generation on their own terms to secure the country’s future.
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