Japan officials stunned by demand as singles vie to mingle with fellow Studio Ghibli lovers

Name: Japan’s greying population: 1 in 10 now 80 or older as country’s birth rate continues to fall
Uploaded: 2023-09-28T23:00:14.000Z
Duration: 2 min 18 s
Description: Japan’s greying population: 1 in 10 now 80 or older as country’s birth rate continues to fall

More than 2,200 people applied to attend a fan event in Aichi that brings together fans of the Studio Ghibli films who are also looking for a spouse

The matchmaking scheme is part of a larger push by local governments to unite singles to eventually have children and boost Japan’s falling birth rates

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People take pictures of the ‘Totoro’ character at Ghibli Park in Aichi prefecture. Photo: Studio Ghibi/AFP

Julian Ryall

Published: 7:00am, 29 Sep 2023Updated: 8:47am, 29 Sep 2023

Organisers of a konkatsu (matchmaking) party in Japan have been inundated with requests to attend the event, which brings together fans of the Studio Ghibli films who are also looking for a spouse.

The local government in Aichi Prefecture, in central Japan, recently announced that the konkatsu party will be held October 7 at the Aichi Expo Memorial Park, which is also home to Ghibli Park.

The hugely popular theme park opened last November and replicates some of the iconic locations from Ghibli animated films, including Dondoko Forest from My Neighbour Totoro and Mononoke Village from Princess Mononoke.

An exhibit at the Ghibli Park in Nagakute, Aichi prefecture. Photo Studio Ghibli/AFP

It is also inhabited by characters from the films, such as Porco Rosso, Wizard Howl, the Catbus and Kiki the witch.

Organisers told the Mainichi newspaper they wanted to arrange a matchmaking party where single men and women could meet in person after similar events held by private konkatsu companies were curtailed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Local governments across Japan have increasingly been taking the nation’s population crisis into their own hands, attempting to bring together singles looking for romance in the hope that some will hit it off, marry and have children.

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Japan’s greying population: 1 in 10 now 80 or older as country’s birth rate continues to fall

That crisis shows no sign of easing, with a report released by the internal affairs ministry in August showing Japan’s population fell by more than 800,000 last year, due to record low births and record high deaths. The country’s population, which currently sits at 122.4 million, has been declining for 15 straight years.