Japan’s population is already declining.

In the midst of this severe crisis, more women than men are moving to Tokyo, the country’s capital.

To address this demographic crisis, the government will soon launch an initiative to support single women who are willing to move to rural areas while looking for a partner.

Let’s take a closer look.

Financial help for single women in Tokyo

Under the initiative, the government will cover travel expenses for women travelling from Tokyo to rural areas to attend matchmaking events and provide additional financial incentives for those who relocate, according to The Japan Times.

The report said that details such as the amounts to be paid would be taken into account when drawing up the budget.

The new initiative will expand an existing subsidy program that offers up to $7,000 to women moving from Tokyo’s 23 wards to rural areas.

According to the government, this move is intended to buck the trend of young women staying in Tokyo to find work or continue their education.

More women than men

In Tokyo, the recent influx of women has been greater than that of men.

A government official told the JapanTimes that women from rural areas who move to Tokyo to work or study tend to make the capital their permanent home rather than returning to their hometowns or other areas.

As a result of this trend, the number of single women and men varied in rural areas.

According to 2020 census data, an estimated 9.1 million single women between the ages of 15 and 49 lived in 46 of Japan’s 47 prefectures (excluding Tokyo).

This is around 20 percent less than the 11.1 million single men in the same age group, although the gap can be as high as 30 percent in some areas.

The decline in young women in rural areas poses a major challenge for preventing future emigration.

The Government has recognised this and decided that it is crucial to offer targeted support to unmarried women who wish to move to a rural area.

Japan’s dwindling population

Japan is facing a severe demographic crisis; the birth rate reached a historic low last year.

In the country of 123.9 million inhabitants, only 727,277 births were recorded in 2023, according to government data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Affairs.

The fertility rate, defined as the total number of births a woman has in her lifetime, fell from 1.26 to 1.20. For a population to remain stable, a fertility rate of 2.1 is required.

Earlier this year, the government announced that the number of children under 15 would reach 14 million in April 2024, 330,000 fewer than last year. This year, 7.2 million boys and 6.8 million girls were born.

Since 1982, the number of children in Japan has been declining for the 43rd consecutive year.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described the problem as “the most serious crisis facing our country.”

This downward trend has accelerated in recent years: every year the number of deaths exceeds the number of births, leading to a population decline with far-reaching consequences for Japan’s workforce, economy, welfare system and social fabric.

And Japan is also not lucky when it comes to marriages: the number of marriages fell by 30,000 last year, while the number of divorces rose.

Population will continue to decline

Japan’s already declining population is expected to fall to 87 million people in 2070, a 30 percent decrease from 2020 levels.

Citing an estimate by the National Institute for Population and Security Research, the local Kyodo A news agency reported that the number of foreign residents, including students and workers, who have been in Japan for more than three months could reach 9.39 million people, or 10.8 percent of the population, in 2070, up from 2.2 percent in 2020.

The country’s population aged 65 and over is projected to reach 33.67 million in 2070, after peaking at 39.53 million in 2043. They will account for 38.7 percent of the population in 2070, leading to a sharp increase in social security costs, the report said.

The number of people aged 15 to 64, the working-age population that supports the country’s social security systems by paying contributions, is forecast to decline sharply from 75.09 million in 2020 to 45.35 million in 2070.

Measures taken

Nevertheless, the government is making great efforts to mitigate the effects.

It has launched initiatives such as the expansion of childcare facilities, housing subsidies for parents and, in some cities, even financial support for couples who have children.

Additionally, a dating app that uses AI to bring singles together was launched in Tokyo.

“If there are many people who want to get married but cannot find a partner, we want to provide support,” said a Tokyo official. The Asahi Shimbun.

“We hope that this app, with its government connection, will provide a sense of security and encourage those who have previously been hesitant to use traditional apps to take the first step in finding a partner.”

With contributions from agencies