'Fictosexual' Japanese Man Celebrates 6th Anniversary With Voicebank Character 'Hatsune Miku'

A Japanese man is happily married to the fictional character Hatsune Miku and is ready to celebrate his sixth anniversary. Hatsune Miku is a 16-year-old pop singer with long, turquoise twin tails and is officially known as a vocaloid, a type of singing voice synthesiser software. The name translates to “the first sound of the future” in English.The 41-year-old Akihiko Kondo shared a post on his Instagram on October 23 of the receipt for a cake he bought for their anniversary which falls on November 4.“I like Miku very much. Happy six-year anniversary”, the message on the cake read.According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Kondo said that he had been romantically interested in women before secondary school. But when he confessed his love to them, he was always rejected and bullied for being obsessed with anime and manga.In 2007, he fell in love with Miku soon after the character was released. However, he was bullied at work, he was diagnosed with adjustment disorder and took long sick leave. But Miku’s healing voice helped him reconnect with society and save his life, Kondo said.In 2018, he held a wedding ceremony, at a Tokyo chapel. The wedding cost him $13,000 after he had proposed through a hologram device with simple artificial intelligence that allowed users to interact with the character, she had replied positively. Around the time Kondo's wedding ceremony, he discovered the term ‘fictosexual’, which means a person who is sexually attracted to fictional characters. Kondo had a life-size doll of Miku made in 2019.He dresses her up, has meals and tea with her and talks with Miku in his imagination.According to the SCMP, the Japanese Association for Sex Education a 2017 survey found that more than 10 per cent of students from junior secondary school to university had romantic feelings for fictional characters.Kondo has experienced more acceptance from society toward his sexual orientation. He founded an association for fictosexuality with his friends last year and is dedicated to helping others like him.