Officials in Japan are to help single people marry in an attempt to halt the dramatic decline in the country's birthrate.

　　The local government of Nara in western Japan will work with restaurants, hotels and sports clubs to organise regular parties and events designed to encourage mingling between the region's bachelors and single women. A manual on how to build stable relationships is being prepared, based on advice from couples who made it to the altar.

　　Until the 1970s a large portion of Japanese couples met through omiai, in which marriage-minded people were introduced to each other by relatives or family friends.

　　The omiai is now considered so old-fashioned that even those desperate to marry avoid it. Yet there is still a stigma attached to casually "picking up'' a partner.

　　The birthrate has declined rapidly in the past 30 years and only the longevity of the Japanese has so far stopped the overall population from falling. Nara, with just 1.21 births per woman, has among the lowest rates in Japan.

　　The fall is widely attributed to the growing number of women who eschew marriage and motherhood because expectations from society and lack of childcare facilities make it difficult to continue work.

　　Yesterday it was announced that Japan's population grew just 0.05 per cent in 2004, with a marginal fall in the number of men. Nearly 20 per cent of the population is over 65 while less than 14 per cent is under 14 years.