Fictional romance and one-hour fiancés: Japan becomes a laboratory for new forms of love

Reporters

Japan's low birth and marriage rates would suggest that the country's citizens have given up on love. That assumption could not be further from the truth. Many Japanese are indeed searching for that special someone, just not the conventional kind. Despite Japan still lagging behind on LGBT+ rights (same-sex weddings are still illegal) the country has become a laboratory for new types of relationships – digital, solitary or even devoid of sex. Could it be a model for the future? Our reporters Alexis Brégère and Mélodie Sforza went to find out.