(Updated) Guy who married Hatsune Miku gives deeper insight into why he did it
【UPDATE 2024/11/25 22:15】
We adjusted the headline and introductory paragraph to better reflect Mr. Kondo’s statement.
The Japanese man who “married” Vocaloid and virtual idol Hatsune Miku recently spoke frankly about his reasons for doing so. The news that he did not marry the avatar solely for love but also to push boundaries has prompted mixed responses on social media.
Public school administrator Akihiko Kondo made headlines worldwide when he decided to marry Hatsune Miku back in 2018. It was widely reported that Kondo decided to get hitched to the virtual idol after watching her videos and listening to her songs lifted him out of his depression. He spent 2 million yen on the symbolic marriage ceremony. The publicity gave him opportunities, like being invited to universities and other institutions to give lectures. He went on to enroll in the Faculty of Law at Komazawa University in April 2021.
In the many articles about his marriage to Hatsune Miku, Kondo is often quoted as saying how much he loves her. “My love for Miku hasn’t changed. I held the wedding ceremony because I thought I could be with her forever.” He says in an English-language article from The Mainichi back in 2022. However, Kondo revealed this week that this wasn’t his main motivation for tying the knot with the idol:
Post translation: I’m sure I’ll get backlash however I write this, but I try to do things within the bounds of what’s not illegal. This is why I held a wedding ceremony with Hatsune Miku at my house, it’s why I went to university while working as a local government employee and its why I tried to go to Tokyo Disneyland*. I may get told I’m being a nuisance or offensive, but everyone feels about things differently, so the line I choose to draw is based on whether something is legal or not. People may say it’s annoying or they feel uncomfortable, but everyone has different feelings, so I decided to draw a line at things that are “legal?/illegal?”
Many people felt inconvenienced or uncomfortable when I married Hatsune Miku, the education board put up a resistance and involved the union and management when I went to university, and (although nothing happened in the end) Tokyo Disneyland caused a big fuss. However, none of these things were illegal. That’s why I tried doing them.
*Note: Kondo is referring to the time he was refused permission to take his life-size Miku doll with him to Tokyo Disneyland.
Kondo’s statements have widely divided people on social media. Some see him as a force for social change, who tests the boundaries of what is borderline legal but unacceptable in Japan’s conservative society. His bravery in publicly marrying a virtual idol raised awareness of fictosexuality (people who are attracted to fictional characters), and he has since established an association to raise awareness of this orientation among the general public.
Others see him as an attention-seeker, and his marriage to Miku has kept him in the news, with recent articles this month focusing on their 6th wedding anniversary. Many critical commenters refer back to a series of posts Kondo made on X earlier this month. Kondo reports that he inquired as to whether he could buy women’s underwear from a women’s lingerie store, and received permission from the store to do so (although fittings were not allowed). He framed this as a gender equality issue, stating that it shouldn’t be considered a problem for men to buy women’s underwear, if it is okay for women to buy men’s underwear. This caused an uproar on X, with many people asking why he couldn’t just buy the underwear online or at a regular clothing store. Although it is not illegal for men to buy women’s underwear in Japan, many commenters found it creepy that he sought out a store specializing in women’s lingerie, and questioned his motivations.
Others were just disappointed that “love for Hatsune Miku” apparently wasn’t Kondo’s main reason for marriage. “So, he’s revealed that he wasn’t doing it for the sake of ‘his beloved wife, Hatsune Miku, but just as a game to try to see if it was legal or illegal,” one X user commented. Many others raised concerns as to how far Kondo is willing to go in testing the boundary between legal and illegal, “If you challenge yourself to see how far you can go without breaking the law, you might end up breaking the law someday.” One commenter weighed in.
Either way, Akihiro Kondo remains a divisive figure.
