His marriage isn't legally recognised, but the man says that he wants to be recognised as a 'sexual minority' who's not interested in being with a real person
A 35-YEAR-OLD man has married a hologram of the popular Japanese computer character, Hatsune Miku, in an $18,000 wedding ceremony in Tokyo, Japan.
Akihiko Kondo tied the knot with his virtual sweetheart earlier this month in front of 40 guests, and while his relatives declined to attend the ceremony, the school clerk affirms that society "must consider all kinds of love and all kinds of happiness."
Hatsune Miku first emerged in 2007, making her initial appearance as the face and voice of 'Vocaloid' software, which can be used to create synthesised singing by entering lyrics and melodies into your computer.
Since then, she has gone on to enjoy widespread popularity in Japan, particularly as a result of the Project DIVA video game series that features her.
It would seem that she's now so literally beloved by her fans that one of them, at least, has taken the step of marrying her, which is what Akihiko Kondo did on November 4.
Of course, given that she isn't actually real, Kondo has in fact betrothed a hologram of her, which he purchased for $2,800 and which he's been living with since March.
"I’m in love with the whole concept of Hatsune Miku but I got married to the Miku of my house," Kondo, speaking with the Japan Times.
As unusual as their whole arrangement is, Kondo regards himself as a normal married man, and was comfortable enough with his situation to invite 40 guests to his wedding.
Because the Hatsune Miku he lives with is a hologram residing inside an Amazon Echo-like gadget, it was a stuffed-doll version of Miku that he brought to the ceremony, which is also the version he sleeps with at night.
"I never cheated on her, I’ve always been in love with Miku-san. I’ve been thinking about her every day," he said one week after the wedding.
Kondo tells the Japan Times that his holographic wife wakes him up every morning, welcomes him home from work, and even sings him songs.
Yet despite the domestic bliss they reportedly share, their marriage isn't legally recognised by Japanese authorities.
However, Kondo did receive a 'marriage certificate' from Gatebox, the company that manufactures the holograms.
And what's interesting is that Gatebox has to date issued over 3,700 of these certificates to other Japanese men.
"There must be some people who can’t come forward and say they want to hold a wedding. I want to give them a supportive push,” Kondo explained.
At a time when fewer Japanese people are getting hitched, his assumption that there are others like him is most likely true.
And given that fewer Brits are marrying each other, similar stories may crop up soon enough in the UK, especially when leading AI researchers have predicted that we'll be marrying robots by 2045.
Would you like to have a relationship with an AI, hologram or robot? Let us know in the comments.
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