Young Japanese Support Separate Married Surname Option
A survey of teenagers in Japan found strong support for changing the law to allow married couples to maintain separate surnames.
The Nippon Foundation ran a survey in mid-August 2025 asking 1,000 teenagers aged 17 to 19 about their views on introducing a selective separate surname system for married couples in Japan.
- Around 90% of respondents were aware of this system.
- Approximately 70% expressed interest in it.
Under current civil law, when a couple get married, one of them is required to change their surname so that they share the same one.
Only 20.5% of respondents thought the current system “should be maintained.”
Most men and women were in favor of a system that would let them choose separate surnames; for women this was a majority at 53.0%.
Overwhelmingly, it is women who change their surname, accounting for 94% of cases in total.
Author's summary: Japanese teenagers support surname change law.