Man, 35, reportedly marries computer hologram
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Akihiko Kondo, 35, poses for a photograph with a doll modeled after virtual reality singer Hatsune Miku, wearing their wedding rings, at his apartment after marrying her in Tokyo, Japan. (Reuters)
Surrounded by nearly 40 people, a 35-year-old man reportedly married a virtual hologram earlier this month.
Akihiko Kondo, who works at a middle school in Japan, wed Hatsune Miku, a hologram that was created by a computer as singing software, on Nov. 4, Reuters reported Wednesday.
The hologram, which takes the form of a teen performer, “is a singing voice synthesizer featured in over 100,000 songs,” according to an online description from Crypton Future Media, the company whose program the character is modeled on, Reuters reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement to Fox News, the company said they are "not involved in any way in this 'wedding' ceremony, and we have no knowledge of it outside of what has been reported."
"Marriage with a character has no legal validity, and this event should be of no concern to Hatsune Miku's millions of fans," the company continued. "We see this as one individual's way of expressing his appreciation for Hatsune Miku, and we respect that."
While acknowledging the traditional path to marriage, Kondo said he feels “the shape of happiness and love is different for each person.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“There definitely is a template for happiness, where a real man and woman get married, have a child and live all together. But I don’t believe such a template can necessarily make everyone happy,” Kondo told Reuters.
Both Kondo, whose parents were not present at the wedding, and his new bride each have wedding rings, according to the outlet. A doll that resembles the bride reportedly wears the hologram’s ring.
The groom requested a marriage registration form from Gatebox, a technology company that last year offered the documents for those who wanted to marry computer-generated personas, Reuters said. However, the weddings reportedly do not have any legal grounds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Since the ceremony, Kondo told Reuters that people have reached out to him, “saying they were encouraged,” he told the outlet. “I think it was nice to have this wedding for that reason.”