Rewrite the introduction below to make it 550 words:

(Dating Apps in Japan: How Japanese Dating Culture and Marriage Market Changed

and The Dark Sides)

Introduction

Led by Pairs, mobile dating applications are transforming dating culture in Japan and reshaping the marriage market. Japan has endured a concerning population decline crisis over the years, and the popularity of dating apps incentivized by the government has brought hope of a better trend. The declining marriage rates in Japan are a culmination of different factors including but not limited to; attitudinal change, high costs of raising children, the comforts of a single life and the challenges of balancing work and family amid a highly patriarchal society. Japan’s dating applications are realizing tremendous growth because of their convenience in terms of flexibility, speed, geographical boundlessness, and instantaneous access to numerous other users. With more than 23% percent of single individuals using dating services in 2019, the marriage rates have begun to rise in Japan. However, dating applications inevitably collide with the Japanese social and cultural structures. Issues such as ghosting, misuse of users’ data, criminal activity aided by the platforms, general social aversion towards online dating, and the projection of sexist agendas through the media remain concerning. Dating applications possess tremendous potential to increase marriage rates and reverse the population decline. However, faced by the inherent challenges systemic to any social network, the necessity of intentional investment through deliberate government policy to close the gaps in the utilization and functionality of the applications is apparent.