AICHI, Jun 17 (News On Japan) –
Aichi Prefecture is stepping up its efforts to assist marriage as a part of its measures to handle the declining birthrate, providing not solely occasions but in addition session providers to help people on the trail to marriage.
Around 400 women and men gathered on the gymnasium of the Aichi Expo Memorial Park in Nagakute City for a matchmaking occasion. Now in its third yr, the occasion is organized by the prefecture and provided freed from cost.
“One of the objectives is to provide opportunities for people to meet as a measure against the rising number of unmarried and late marriages, which are factors contributing to the declining birthrate,” mentioned Takeshi of Aichi Prefecture’s Child Support Division.
In addition to those free large-scale occasions, Aichi has expanded its marriage assist efforts. While main occasions create alternatives to fulfill, they usually don’t present enough follow-up, making it troublesome for relationships to progress. To tackle this, the prefecture launched the Aichi Marriage Support Center, an internet service that started full-scale operations in December final yr.
“The Child Support Division oversees the Aichi Marriage Support Center. About half a year has passed since the service began. What kind of results have we seen so far?” requested announcer Uesaka.
The heart makes use of AI expertise to match individuals. After matching, customers can seek the advice of with skilled advisors through chat or cellphone all through the courting and marriage course of, offering a hands-on assist system.
As of the top of April, Takeshi reported, “So far, four couples have successfully married.” The prefecture says 2,026 individuals have registered as of the identical date. “We hope to see the number of registrants grow to 4,000 or 5,000. Our goal is to reach around 100 successful marriages per year,” Takeshi added.
While Aichi goals to advertise marriage assist providers as a countermeasure to the declining birthrate, public opinion is split on using public funds for such applications. In a survey performed by Me~tele, 45% of respondents opposed using public cash for these matchmaking occasions, whereas 25% expressed assist.
Supporters cited its potential to assist tackle the falling birthrate and included dad and mom of grownup youngsters who wrestle to search out companions on their very own, with one mother or father saying, “My 25-year-old son doesn’t seem capable of finding someone by himself, so I would appreciate this kind of help.”
Opponents argued that personal matchmaking providers are enough and instructed that public funds can be higher used for monetary help and tax cuts to create a society extra conducive to marriage and childbearing.
Addressing the combined reactions, Takeshi mentioned, “There are voices questioning whether this is something local governments should be doing, but I believe many people need and seek this kind of support, and we intend to continue providing it.”
Social adjustments additionally look like driving the necessity for government-backed matchmaking. “People may wonder how the other person feels about them or ask for advice such as what outfit to wear on a date. Having access to this kind of consultation is one way we differ from conventional matchmaking apps,” Takeshi defined. “Since it’s increasingly difficult to talk about private matters at work, we hope people will take advantage of the prefecture’s service,” she added.
Source: Nagoya TV News