Japanese Man 'Married' A Hologram Because He Cannot Trust Women Anymore
He argued that marrying people will "not necessarily make everyone happy."
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 14 Nov 2018, 04:59 PM
A Japanese man has made headlines for 'marrying' virtual pop star Hatsune Miku in Tokyo on 4 November
35-year-old Akihiko Kondo spent JPY2 million (RM73,718) on an intimate wedding ceremony to 'marry' Hatsune Miku, a popular Japanese singing hologram created by Crypton Future Media.
Since Miku is a virtual reality character, she was represented at the ceremony by a doll version of herself.
Kondo exchanged rings, vows, and signed a marriage certificate despite the fact that the marriage has no legal standing in Japan
However, Gatebox, the company that produces the hologram device featuring Miku, issues marriage certificates which symbolises that a human and a virtual character have wed "beyond dimensions."
The 39 guests present at the ceremony included friends, Japanese Parliament member Taro Yamada, and Assemblyman Ogino Otaku, NextShark reported.
His mother, however, refused to attend the ceremony. "For mother, it wasn't something to celebrate," said Kondo.
His decision to tie the knot with Miku stemmed from a scarring experience with female colleagues 10 years ago
According to Next Shark, Kondo revealed that female superiors had bullied him at their work place. However, it was Kondo who was suspended over the incident.
Finding it difficult to trust women, the 35-year-old found solace in the voice of the virtual singer and his large collection of Miku merchandise.
"Miku-san is the woman I love a lot and also the one who saved me," he said.
"I believe we must consider all kinds of love and all kinds of happiness," said Kondo, who identifies as part of "a sexual minority"
He argued that marrying "3D" people and bearing children will "not necessarily make everyone happy."
"It's simply not right, it's as if you were trying to talk a gay man into dating a woman, or a lesbian into a relationship with a man," he said.
Kondo considers himself an ordinary married man, explaining that his holographic wife wakes him up each morning, turns the lights on at night when he arrives home, and tells him when it is time to go to bed.
He has reportedly been living with a moving, talking, hologram of Miku that floats in a JPY2,800 (RM103) desktop device since March, according to Japan Times.