"Just Pay 8,500 Won to Find a Girlfriend"…Japanese Local Governments Pour 1 Billion Won into Matchmaking Events

An Annual Budget of Over 1 Billion Won
120 Men and Women Aged 20 to 34 Participate

Local governments in Japan are investing more than 1 billion won annually to host large-scale matchmaking events aimed at supporting young people in dating and marriage.

Image extracted by AI showing a blind date scene

According to TBS NEWS DIG, a news site affiliated with TBS Japan, Kochi Prefecture held a large-scale event in Kochi City on August 30, with 120 men and women aged 20 to 34 participating. Unlike the so-called 'konkatsu' (marriage hunting), where participants look for partners with marriage as a premise, this event was organized by Kochi Prefecture to create a space where young men and women could meet casually without pressure.

"Casual Meetups, Without Pressure to Marry"…120 Men and Women Participate

The fact that the local government itself hosted the event, along with the affordable participation fee of 1,000 yen (about 8,500 won), attracted more than 200 applicants. Of these, 120 men and women were selected by lottery to attend the event, making it the largest such event ever organized by Kochi Prefecture.

One male participant told the media, "I don't have a girlfriend, but my friend encouraged me to come along. My goal is to find a girlfriend." A female participant said, "I came hoping to meet either a friend or someone special. Usually, I have no opportunity to meet new people; my life is just work and home."

The event began with participants split into multiple groups and introducing themselves to each other. Afterwards, men and women enjoyed casual conversations in a free-talking session. To further support interactions, the organizers also introduced a dedicated application. All participants' profiles were registered in the app, and they could express interest by sending a "like" and then start a direct conversation. In reality, some attendees used the app to approach others and exchanged contact information during the event.

Lowest Marriage Numbers Spur Emergency Measures

The number of marriages in Kochi Prefecture hit an all-time low last year at 1,951 cases.

In this context, Kochi Prefecture has continuously expanded the scale of such matchmaking events to increase the number of marriages. The number of events rose from 48 in fiscal year 2022 to 81 in fiscal year 2023, and to 86 in fiscal year 2024. Last year, for the first time, the number of events surpassed 100, reaching a total of 109.

The budget for these events has also expanded significantly—from 52.42 million yen (450 million won) in fiscal year 2022, to 59.03 million yen (505 million won) in 2023, to 70.99 million yen (607 million won) in 2024. Last year, the budget reached 115.28 million yen (990 million won).

This year, the allocated budget is a record-high 124.2 million yen (about 1.062 billion won). The total number of events held this fiscal year will be determined after the accounting period ends.

Kochi Prefecture plans to continue these events for the foreseeable future, targeting young people who are interested in dating or marriage but lack opportunities to meet potential partners. An official from Kochi Prefecture said, "We have realized that many people want to meet others without pressure," adding, "We will take this into account as we move forward with our programs."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.