On White Day, a month after Valentine’s Day, love is still in the air in Japan.
This time, a city in Chiba has decided to introduce a “Love Registration”, where couples can register their affection for each other at the city hall, in the same way as a marriage is registered. What’s more, the object of your affection doesn’t even have to know about it.
Officials from city hall say that it is a means of encouraging younger generations to be proactive about love as a means of increasing Japan’s dwindling birthrate. But netizens have a mixed reaction to the idea; some think it’s sweet, while others think it is not just lame, but a little bit creepy.
From NHK:
City To Start Accepting “Love Registration” To Prove Couples Are Dating
Nagareyama City, Chiba, has started efforts to accept, for a limited period, notification documents that prove a couple are dating in an attempt to encourage the younger generation to be proactive in love, and to stem the low birthrate in the future.
The document, which has been called a “Love Registration”, allows people to record their own name and the name of the person they are dating — or want to date — as well as the place and date they met, and then notify the city.
The document will have no legal power, but by asking people to prove that they are in love and commemorate their relationship, the city is trying to support the love of those in younger generations. Nagareyama City started accepting love registrations last month.
Last year, 53% of the city’s income from tax was from municipal tax paid by citizens, and given then as the population falls the city’s finances will worsen, Nagareyama has also advanced efforts to encourage the generation who are bringing up young children to move to the city. For the moment, “Love Registrations” will be accepted for a limited period up until the end of May.
Tsutsu Hideo, chief of Nagareyama’s marketing division, said: “We anticipate that calling for people to be more proactive about love might be one strategy to counter the falling birthrate”.
Comments from Twitter:
こひなたゆうま@ハピメアFD:
If we’re resorting to trivial things like that then won’t someone please kill off all the old people?
まゆまよ:
This is pretty amazing 笑
nrccc:
I want to register w
りえちう:
Makes me feel sick. Way lame.
ダイチ:
Damn, my hometown has come up with a ridiculous plan…
笠原侑哉@台北生活なう:
This isn’t even funny. Plus it’s pretty simplistic. Makes machikon
カニメガちゃん:
Seems like stalkers are going to be overjoyed at this.
Love registration…
If you just wrote someone’s name without asking them that would be pretty creepy.
takkaw:
Great.
アンナ・ハーレント:
Oh come on, this can’t be real. To notify the city hall that you’re dating!! Before long they’ll make something like a “sexual intercourse registration”.
精神科薬剤師くわばらひでのり:
Hmm, seems like it doesn’t matter if it’s unrequited love.
あさミ☆:
＼(◎o◎)／WTF＼(◎o◎)／
⇒This is pointless. And it’s an invasion of privacy.
And all when this is a radiation hotspot too — they should be doing work to protect citizens from radiation!
Aren’t they embarrassed at this?
Blanka_Meduzo:
What if your partner is 2D…
やせがえる:
Is this supposed to be classy or something? Do they seriously think this will be an anniversary for people? Just don’t get it!
ゆぅか:
This is amazing (^o^)/♡
きょん:
Wonder if couples having an affair can register?
Tony Robinson.:
It’s pretty funny that cities can start developing these weird services.
If this is an opportunity for young people to become involved in the activities of their city, then that’s great.
しらこ:
Give it a rest. If something happens and the couple breaks up, then it’s going to be an embarrassing blot on their reputation.
Moe TAKAHASHI:
Is it really OK if you register a person who doesn’t actually exist?
農民丁/玉依:
I thought this was the Kyoko Shimbun or something [Japanese version of The Onion
일제 타도하자!:
I can only see this as being a tactic for umeyo fuyaseyo! [Japanese wartime slogan: “Be fruitful and multiply!”]
