Akihiko Kondo

Akihiko Kondo (近藤顕彦, Kondō Akihiko, born May 31, 1983) is a Japanese man who is known for symbolically marrying the fictional Vocaloid character Hatsune Miku in 2018 during a formal wedding ceremony. In high school, Kondo had an interest in real women, but he was rejected by them. Soon after, he decided he would not marry one. Later, Kondo was bullied at work and took sick leave due to depression. During his leave, in 2007, Kondo discovered Hatsune Miku; this helped Kondo return to the workplace. In 2017, he purchased a Gatebox device that allowed people to interact with holograms, including Hatsune Miku. This device further helped Kondo's decision to hold a wedding with the character. The marriage, which was unofficial, elicited mixed reactions from people.

Since then, Kondo has given lectures about his relationship, including at Kyoto University. He has since identified as fictosexual—people who have romantic attraction to fictional characters. In 2023, Kondo founded the General Incorporated Association of Fictosexuality to help the public's understanding of the subject. Sources have identified Kondo as a fighter for the rights and acceptance of fictosexuals; a professor described him as "a pioneer for the fictosexual movement".^[1] As of October 2023, Kondo is a public school administrator and lives in Tokyo.