New Book: Artificial Love in Japan

[Agnès Giard]

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the publication (October 2, 2025) by Albin Michel of:

Artificial Love in Japan:

Virtual Flirts and Imaginary Girlfriends

This book focuses on romantic relationships with fictional characters: media mix lovers, customizable wives, imaginary boyfriends, etc.

Argument

While Japan is experiencing a sharp decline in birth rates, the “illusory love market” (mōsō ren'ai ichiba) is growing as a result of a recession which forces a growing portion of the population into celibacy. 

It is becoming difficult to start a family.

Although attachment to “impossible” love objects is universal, it takes peculiar forms in Japan and, above all, it is fueled by complex feelings. 

What are the key issues of this phenomenon?

Who are these creatures that people can now marry through wedding ceremonies or fake marriage certificates?

This investigation (the result of eight years of postdoctoral research*) outlines the intertwined purposes and rationale behind this “romance” counterculture shaped as a playful cult.

*Investigation based on a project proposed in 2017 to the European Research Council (ERC). 

Conducted as a JSPS visiting researcher at Kyoto University in 2018 and as a member of the EMTECH research group (Emotional Machines: The Technological Transformation of Intimacy in Japan) at Freie Universität Berlin in 2019-2022. 

Finalized in 2024 with a MIRA mobility grant (Institut Français).

Best regards,

Agnès Giard

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Agnès GIARD

Researcher affiliated with Sophiapol (EA 3932) - Paris Nanterre University

Academia : https://u-paris10.academia.edu/AgnesGiard

ResearchGate : https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Agnes_Giard