{"id":65359,"date":"2026-04-17T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=65359"},"modified":"2026-04-16T16:40:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:40:33","slug":"a-prefecture-in-japan-will-offer-single-people-money-to-use-matchmaking-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/a-prefecture-in-japan-will-offer-single-people-money-to-use-matchmaking-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"A\u00a0prefecture\u00a0in Japan\u00a0will offer single people money to use matchmaking apps\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The government of\u00a0Japan\u2019s\u00a0Kochi Prefecture\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0on April\u00a010\u00a0that it will be launching a\u00a0subsidy program to support young\u00a0people\u00a0in finding romantic partners and getting married with the help of online dating apps. The\u00a0maximum\u00a0proposed amount is 20,000 yen (approx.\u00a0$125 USD) per year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kochi Prefecture is located along the southern coast of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cInternet-based marriage partner introduction services.\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last December, Kochi Prefecture announced<\/a> a partnership with Tapple, Japan\u2019s 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\u2019s approved matchmaking services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kochi Prefecture isn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> by Japan\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s willingness to meet the younger generation on their own terms to secure the country\u2019s future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related<\/strong>: Nintendo shuts\u00a0down unofficial Smash Bros dating app only one day before open beta launch<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese otaku-targeted dating app\u2019s bizarre AI image advertising leads to 3x \u2013 7x increase in female users\u202f<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kochi prefecture, which launched the initiative, is one of the least populous prefectures in Japan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":65362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-65359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nongaming-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nA\u00a0prefecture\u00a0in Japan\u00a0will offer single people money to use matchmaking apps\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Japan\u2019s\u00a0Kochi prefecture\u00a0announced\u00a0on April\u00a010\u00a0that it will be launching a\u00a0subsidy program to support young\u00a0people\u00a0in finding romantic partners and getting married with the help of online dating apps.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/a-prefecture-in-japan-will-offer-single-people-money-to-use-matchmaking-apps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A\u00a0prefecture\u00a0in Japan\u00a0will offer single people money to use matchmaking apps\u00a0 - 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