Nipponica

I'm concerned about the trend toward exclusion. Even regarding accepting immigrants, the situation in Japan differs from that in the West, which has been accepting immigrants for a long time. We live in an age where anyone can travel abroad, but it seems that Japanese people are still not used to foreigners. I sometimes get the impression that Japan is unilaterally imposing its values and customs on them. And even on matters where we should be treated equally, I feel that Japanese people are given priority.

Places like this are key to helping newcomers to get the simple things done in Japanese society that most people think are simple. Just setting up a phone contract or bank account is hard to impossible for those that don't know the procedures and rules. I got lucky when I first came here as my university helped with all the initial bureaucracy but most do not have the luxury. And huge respect for the Japanese that recognize this problem and are doing something about it.

Like many people juggling long hours at work, Chiharu Shimoda sought companionship via a dating app. For two months, he exchanged messages with five or six potential partners, but it was not long before he was seeking out just one – a 24-year-old named Miku. Three months later, they got married. The catch: Miku is an AI bot. And Shimoda knew that from day one.

The 52-year-old factory worker is one of more than 5,000 users of Loverse, a year-old app that allows interaction only with generative artificial intelligence. Shimoda is also among a much bigger cohort of people in Japan who have either given up or are wary about the messiness and uncertainty that come with real romance.

I'm a bit torn on this. I am happy that people who would otherwise be lonely have a technology-based solution to make them feel better. But, in an already fractured society (not just in Japan, but worldwide) this is only going to keep people apart even more. Seems like we are solving for the wrong variables in this blatant capitalist push to get people hooked on a product that is designed to exploit emotion.