In response to a falling birth rate over the past 3 years, the Japanese government has allocated 2 billion yen to subsidize new and ongoing AI matchmaking throughout the country in 2021. The funds will be distributed to local authorities as part of a national effort to combat low birth rates. According to the BBC, the country’s population is projected to drop from a peak of 128 million in 2017 to less than 53 million over the next 80 years.