Stock photo provided to aid understanding of the article. Clipart Korea
Marriage filings submitted in Tokyo on the 8th of last month exceeded the total for the entire month of August a year earlier, driven by a numerical alignment that produced three eights on the Japanese calendar.
Japanese Couples Flock to ‘8-8-8’
According to Japanese media including the Yomiuri Shimbun, a total of 7,650 marriage filings were submitted on the 8th of last month across 62 wards, cities, towns and villages in Tokyo, reported on the 10th.
That is 376 more than the 7,274 filings recorded during all of August last year, and roughly 33 times the average daily number of filings last year.
The concentration reflects the fact that August 8 this year brought together three instances of the number eight, considered auspicious in Japan. Under the Reiwa era name of Emperor Naruhito, this year is Reiwa 8, meaning August 8 completed the sequence 8-8-8.
The Chinese character for eight widens toward the bottom, which is why it symbolizes suehirogari, the idea of growing prosperity in the years ahead. The number is especially favored by people marking a new beginning, such as marriage or starting a business.
Last year, which was Reiwa 7, also saw a rise in filings on July 7, when the lucky number seven appeared three times, but the total then came to just 4,114. This year’s August 8 figure was more than 3,500 higher.
Tokyo Awards ‘8888 Points’ Amid Push to Encourage Marriage
Tokyo authorities have folded that preference for numbers into policies aimed at encouraging marriage. The metropolitan government awarded 8,888 Tokyo Points to couples who completed a marriage filing on the 8th of last month and posted a photo taken with a dedicated photo frame on social media.
Tokyo Points accumulate through the metropolitan government’s official app and can be exchanged for points on private payment services or admission tickets to metropolitan facilities.
An event to introduce single men and women was also held at Azabudai Hills, attended by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. Matchmaking companies and the wedding industry joined in with promotions built around “888 marriages.”
Analysts say the metropolitan government has turned to numerical marketing to promote marriage because of the severity of its declining birth rate. The number of births in Tokyo rose last year from a year earlier, the first increase in nine years. The total fertility rate, however, stayed at 0.96, unchanged from the previous year.