^{Keidanren Chairman Tokura Masakazu urges government to adopt law on separate surnames (Tokyo - June 2024)}

The Japanese Business Federation, or Keidanren, released a statement on June 10 that called on the government to revise a law that mandates married couples in the country to use the same family name.

It is not the first time that business leaders call on the central government to introduce a system that allows couples to choose separate surnames.

90 percent of the companies allow their employees to use family names they had prior to their marriage as an alias - but many problems remain unsolved with this option.

Keidanren points out that the current law hinders advancement of women, as 95 percent of the women in a heterosexual couple change their last name to their male partner's one when they get legally married.

^{Keidanren members meet to discuss separate surnames for married couples (Tokyo - May 2024)}
 

Losing Identity 

Keidanren said that changing the surname can be a "loss in identity", but this is no exaggeration.

Below are just some examples of problems people face when they change their surnames.

1. Career interruption - One's career may be interrupted before and after marriage, It is difficult to prove that any document (e.g. papers, patents, etc.) was written by the same person after their surname is changed.

2. Logistic issues during business trips - One may encounter issues when traveling abroad (e.g. identification issues at airports, accommodations etc.) because their surname on the passport is different from the "alias" they use at work if they continue to use the surname prior to marriage.

3. Legal document issues - One may encounter issues when processing papers related to tax, social security, etc. when they use an "alias" that is different from their legally registered surname.

4. Registration - One cannot use solely their "alias" for real estate and company registration. The legally registered name must always come first.

^{Keidanren members meet with Minister in charge of Women's Empowerment, Kato Ayuko (Tokyo - January 2024)}

Being Able to Use Separate Surnames is "Priority"

The issue was once deemed simply as a personal issue.

Now many firms believe that it imposes threat on their business.

The more women advance in society, the more issues they face using "aliases". 

88 percent of the women who have managing roles in companies answered that they have faced inconvenience from using their maiden names as their alias.

Leading companies agree that it is vital to create a diversified work environment for further growth.

Keidanren, which is comprised of 1,542 representative companies of Japan, is committed to take a "social perspective."

It believes that the current system that requires married couples to have the same family name hinders women's advancement.

^{Keidanren lecture calls for separate surnames for married couples (Tokyo - May 2024)}

The social problem comes as Japan grapples with a serious labor shortage which is giving a grave impact on the country's economy.

Having more women in the workforce is essential to tackle this crisis, including those from countries overseas. However, who would want to come work in a country that lets women suffer?

Japan ranked 118th in the Global Gender Gap report this year. It has maintained a rather poor score in gender equality for years, as men continue to dominate any decision-making process in companies and in politics.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted in 1979 by the United Nations, has called on the Japanese government to adopt a law that will allow people to opt for separate surnames upon marriage.

This autumn, Japan is expected to report to the United Nations what it was able to do to respond to this request.