Japan Eyeing Legalizing Use of Original Surnames Alone

Tokyo, March 5 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is considering including in its sixth basic plan for gender equality a policy to legalize the use of original surnames alone for individuals who changed their family names due to marriage, it was learned Thursday. The policy is based on instructions given by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to relevant ministers. The sixth plan is expected to be approved by the cabinet later this month. The government is considering submitting related legislation to the current parliamentary session. The focus will be the scope of situations in which the use of original family names alone is allowed. While the government has gradually expanded the use of premarriage family names, there still are many situations requiring both original and registered family names, causing inconvenience to many people. Following the launch of her new cabinet last month, Takaichi instructed related ministers to consider preparing a foundation allowing the use of original names alone. The sixth basic plan will set out the government’s policy on gender equality for the next five years. On Thursday, the government presented a draft of the plan to a joint meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s First Cabinet Division and others. The draft calls for the establishment of a system to give legal effect to the use of original names. But the LDP side urged the government to replace the rhetoric with an expression calling for a study on developing a foundation including legislation to allow the use of original names alone. “We will revise the wording based on the request,” a government official said. The government and the ruling bloc are poised to begin full-scale deliberations on related legislation after the planned cabinet approval of the sixth basic gender equality plan. Conservative members in the coalition oppose expanding the use of premarriage names alone. Takaichi has recently told the House of Representatives Budget Committee that it is necessary to consider requiring both premarriage and registered family names to be written on documents used for strict identity verification, such as passports, driver’s licenses and My Number cards. At Thursday’s joint LDP meeting, a participating lawmaker said that people should not be allowed to use only original names in all situations. The government initially aimed to finalize the sixth plan by the end of last year. However, a proposal to legislate the use of premarriage names was suddenly included in a draft report of the government’s gender equality council. Council member Tomoko Yoshino, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, opposed the proposal, from the standpoint of calling for the introduction of a system allowing married couples to choose separate names. The government therefore postponed finalizing the plan. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]