In Japan, it is a legal requirement for married couples to have the same surname, either the husband’s or the wife’s. This unique requirement is unique to Japan, as no other country appears to have a similar law. Six couples are suing the Japanese government for the right to use different surnames after marriage. Under Japanese law, married couples are not allowed separate surnames and have to choose one or the other. About 96% of Japanese couples choose the man’s surname.
In Canada, provincial law forbids a woman from taking her husband’s surname after marriage, thanks to a rule instated in 1976. In Japan, married people have six months after getting married to change their name by filing a name change report with their registered city hall. After the marriage is ended (by divorce, demise, or annulment), they have three months to go back to using their old name.
Japanese women in court fight to keep their surnames after marriage. Five women suing the government argue that the 1896 law forcing spouses to adopt the same name is outdated, but conservatives say change is necessary. The Japanese national may adopt the surname of their spouse, without the permission of the family court, if a “shi-no-henko” (氏の変更) application form is submitted within six months of marriage.
Marriage in Japan is a legal and social institution at the center of the household, and couples are legally married once they have made the change in status on their family registration sheets without the need for a ceremony.
📹 The Sad Truth About Marriage in Japan
If married, the couple must have the same family name. It is said that Japan is the only country in the world that has such an …
Do Japanese change their last name after marriage?
Japan is the only country where couples must adopt the same surname after marriage. Most Japanese people marry around the age of 30. This means many of us have to give up our surnames when we get married. Should we be allowed to keep our names? Should the state take away a key part of our identity?
Because most Japanese wives take their husbands’ surnames, the single-surname rule also makes gender inequality worse. While spouses can choose which name to use, outdated practices and gendered expectations make it difficult to decide who takes which name.
What cultures don’t change their last name after marriage?
In which countries do women keep their maiden names? The Islamic world. In the Islamic world, a woman keeps her own last name after marriage. Greece. … France. … Italy. … The Netherlands. … Spanish-speaking countries. … Japan. … South Korea. On Monday at Expo 2020 Dubai, Lewis Hamilton told crowds that when people get married, the woman loses her name. He also announced that he would be changing his name to include his mother’s surname. The seven-time Formula One champion said he would add Larbalestier to his name to show his pride in his family. “I want her name to go with the Hamilton name,” he said.
Do you have to change your name on your passport when you get married in the UK?
You can get a new passport before or after the ceremony. Your passport must match your travel booking. Get a new passport after the ceremony. Send your marriage or civil partnership certificate when you apply for a passport in your new name. Get a new passport before the ceremony. You can apply for a passport in your new name up to three months before your wedding.
Can you take your wife’s last name in Japan?
In Japan, married couples must take their spouse’s last name. In marriages between a Japanese national and a foreign national, the law doesn’t apply. If you are a Japanese couple getting married, you can’t choose between different last names.
Despite the option for men to take their wives’ surnames, 96% of Japanese women assume their husbands’ names.
What is the surname rule in Japan?
What are the laws in Japan? In Japan, married couples must use the same last name.
In 1947, the code was changed to allow women to choose their own last name. In most cases, Japanese wives take their husbands’ surnames. Professor Simon Avenell from the Australian National University (ANU) College of Asia and the Pacific said that Japan’s civil and family law systems are patriarchal and reinforce the existing system. Even after World War II, the practice continued because of social convention and gender norms.
What is the rarest surname in Japan?
Let’s look at the rankings: Jinja / 神社 Meaning: Shinto shrine. Kai / 買: shellfish. Myoga / 茗荷: Ginger. … Ichibangase / 一番ケ瀬: first rapids, first shoals. Tsukumo / 九十九: 99. Shikichi / 敷地: building site. Shio / 塩: salt. Ikari / 五十里: 50 villages. … Some people weren’t beauty queens. If you know a few Japanese people or like Japanese games or anime, you probably know a few family names. Sato and Suzuki are the most common surnames in Japan, with others like Takahashi and Tanaka also very common. What about the other end of the spectrum? A Japanese surname database recently released the 30 rarest Japanese family names. Researchers analyzed data from government statistics and phone books.
What are the marriage laws in Japan?
The male partner must be at least 18 and the female partner must be at least 16. Also, Americans must be able to legally marry in their home state. If the legal age of marriage at home is 18, you cannot marry earlier than that in Japan.
Do Japanese change their last name?
In Japan, couples choose which surname to share when they marry. In 95% of cases, the woman changes her name. However, things might be different if the Japanese government allowed married couples to use different surnames. The study included a scenario based on a 2022 survey by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation. In this scenario, 39.3% of 1,000 employees aged 20 to 59 said they wanted to share a surname.
Do you change surname after marriage?
1. Do I have to change my name? You don’t have to. It’s up to you. Think about how losing your last name can affect you. Changing your name after marriage is more emotional than legal. Some couples want to take their partner’s last name, while others are undecided. For their partners, it can be emotional too. Seeing the person you love distressed or confused about making the decision is difficult. For some, it can even be hurtful if their partner doesn’t want to take their name. More men in heterosexual relationships are changing their names after marriage. It’s worth considering how you both feel. You don’t have to do it right away. You could wait until you want to have children or until you need a new passport. You can change your name at any time. Many people keep their family name.
Should I take my husband’s last name?
This is no longer the case. Most women still take their husband’s name, but it’s just tradition. Many women don’t take their husbands’ names. Up to 20% of women keep their maiden names when they marry. Some women add their husband’s name to their own, creating a double-barreled name. Some women take their husband’s name but keep their maiden name as a middle name. Today, we’ll discuss how to change your name when you get married. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of keeping your maiden name or changing it. What are my options for changing my name after marriage? Women no longer have to take their husband’s name after marriage. You can do whatever you want. You have many choices about your name. Don’t change your name. Keep your maiden name and change your title to Ms. or Mrs. instead of Miss. Take your husband’s name and get rid of your former surname. Take your husband’s name and keep your maiden name as a middle name. If you were Sue Love Smith, you would be Sue Love Smith. Double-barrel your name with your husband’s. You’d be Sue Love Smith (with or without a hyphen). Mesh your name with your husband’s. You do this together. If your last names are Hudson and Thomas, you could become Mr. and Mrs. Thomson. Choose a new name. You and your husband can choose a new name for your new family.
Do Japanese people have two last names?
Edit. Most Japanese people have one last name and one first name. The Japanese imperial family has no last name. The family name comes before the given name. People with mixed Japanese and foreign parentage may have middle names. Very few names are used as both surnames and given names. It’s easy to tell which is the surname and which is the given name in Japanese names, no matter how they’re ordered. It is unlikely that the two names will be confused in English. Some common surnames and given names may have the same Romanized spelling, like Maki (真紀、麻紀、真樹) (given name) and Maki (槇、牧、薪) (surname).
Edit: Family names The term “surname” can be translated into three different Japanese words: myōji, uji, and sei. These words had different meanings in the past. Sei was the emperor’s title for male rank. There were few sei, and most medieval noble clans trace their lineage to these sei or their courtiers. Uji was another name for patrilineal descent, but it later merged with myōji. Myōji was a family name, not an official title. While it was passed down from fathers, including uncles, one could change one’s myōji. See also kabane.
📹 Do Koreans Change Their Surname When Getting Married? #shorts
#surnames #korea #married #marry #asia #culturaldifference #asianboss #staycurious #streetinterview.
I wonder, how often do Japanese people have two first names like John-Williams (SURNAME)? It’s quite common in Europe, and in an extention of that, what you see more often these days is that people hyphenate (-) their surnames upon marriage, So instead of being Yamamoto Akira, you’d be Yamamoto-Joshiro Akira. I understand that rural Japan will be slower in adapting to that, but would that be something that would be agreeable to Japanese people in the cities?
In Mexico differently from most of the World we do not change the surnames ( we still get grandfather side name) we make double surnames. My mother did have a name change she added a de ” from” in you example your kids will be apple Microsoft and it has been an issue whenever paperwork needs to be done it does not guarantee equality though.
In the Philippines, although legally, women are given the option to continue using their maiden surname, almost all married Filipino women either use their hisband’s surname or append/hyphenate it after their maiden surname. Married couples having different surnames also has some difficulties. Even Western countries like the US do the same.
Shogo, I’ve always loved your articles. As a person who has lived in Japan for 5 years you give me an extra layer of explanation, that I wouldn’t have arrived at by myself. However, I can’t fully agree with you on some points in your article. In Bulgaria (which is part of Europe and the EU) still women are largely accepting their husbands family name. It IS a tradition and we have a lot of customs during the wedding ceremony to symbolize that the woman is accepted into her husband’s family. To my knowledge most of Europe is the same. Women in Bulgaria never keep their original surnames after marriage, they however are allowed (if they want) to put a dash (-) and keep both their original family name and new family name. For example “Ivanova-Georgieva” This isn’t frowned upon, called outdated system or at all being asked to change. Now, all the complications you mentioned from having to switch surnames in Japan due to divorce, marriage etc. etc. are probably the real culprit here. I agree it’s not fair to burden only women with them, but I think that should be the things worked upon, rather than allowing people to keep their original surnames. I don’t believe the later will help much with solving these problems in particular… instead make a law that asks men to complete half of the paperwork etc. etc. although I admit that there are a lot of Japan specific culture issues steaming from the woman being the one to switch surnames, but at the same time you see that it’s not easy for men that accept their wife’s surname to get rid of all the prejudices.
Very interesting subject, actually in Eastern Europe, at least in Romania, the women also take the man’s name after marriage. I searched and the law lets the couple choose what name they want, it’s not mandatory to have a common name, but the women are expected to take the husband’s name and I did not hear about anyone not to do that, besides maybe very famous women who made a brand of their names. This is what society does, and we are not even in the subject of cohabiting, not marrying. And yeah, it’s a headache to change all you have your name on just because you married, it’s not fair. I feel for japanese sigh
In most hispanic countries, the women do not loose their family names after marrying. So the women will add the husbands name after her family name, so if her family name is Rodriguez and her husband’s family name is Lopez. She will be Rodriguez-Lopez or Rodriguez de Lopez. So the “de” means in Spanish, “Of” in other words Rodriguez of Lopez. Unfortunately, in the U.S.A. women have to take on the husband’s last name (family name), they do have a choice to stay with their names and added like in the example I provided, or take the husband’s name and place their family name after the husband’s. However, this is not a common practice as people are discouraged to do that.
My ancestors didn’t even have surnames until they came to America around the turn of the century and my father’s surname wasn’t his actual family name so I don’t put any significance into surnames. Nonetheless, here in America a woman also takes the name of the man she is marrying (although I don’t think that it’s an actual law, just a cultural norm). Also, “women’s equality” is a sham: women went from just having to manage the household and raise the children to now we have to manage the household, raise the children, win the bread and bring home the bacon, and–if they choose to keep the man around–raise the husband as well (while he just plays all day and spends the money that he earns on himself alone); there aren’t enough hours in the day 😓. I feel like my mother and grandmother experienced far more liberty than I’ve ever had.