Photo/Illutration

Sixty-three percent of voters support the idea of allowing married couples to choose different surnames, more than double the 29 percent who prefer the existing one-name-only system, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

The results marked an end to the steady increase in support for legal changes to give couples the option of registering their marriage under two family names.

In a July 2024 survey, 73 percent supported an optional dual-surname system, compared with 21 percent who opposed it.

The latest nationwide telephone survey was conducted on Feb. 15 and 16, after a panel in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party resumed discussions on whether to change the surname system.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has also started internal talks on the issue.

The survey results showed that men and women had similar ratios of support and opposition for revising the system.

By age group, 80 percent of those between 18 and 29 said they support changes, while 16 percent were opposed to reforms.

All age groups up to the 60s were more heavily in favor of a dual-surname system than the current one-name one.

But the gap narrowed among respondents in their 70s or older, with 47 percent supporting the dual-surname system while 42 percent opposing it.

Supporters of legal changes to give married couples the family-name option included: 59 percent of LDP supporters; 67 percent of voters with no party affiliation, and 63 percent of those who approve the current Cabinet.

In a survey conducted 10 years ago in December 2015, 49 percent of all respondents were in favor of changing the one-name system, compared with 40 percent who were opposed to changes.

In a January 2020 survey, those who supported a two-name system soared, with 69 percent in favor of legal revisions and 24 percent against changing the system.

That trend continued in the survey in July 2024.

Many couples have sued the government, saying the legal system requiring couples to pick one surname for family registers violates the Constitution.

Efforts to change the system have been blocked mainly by conservative lawmakers in the LDP, who have argued that allowing married couples to choose separate surnames would weaken family ties.

According to the survey, 65 percent of respondents disagreed with that argument, far more than the 30 percent who agreed with it.

When the same question was asked in a survey in November 2015, 57 percent of respondents disagreed with the LDP argument while 35 percent agreed with it.

In all age groups up to the 60s, those who disagreed with the opinion far outnumbered those who agreed.

However, among those aged 70 and older, the results were more evenly split, with 46 percent agreeing and 44 percent disagreeing.

Among LDP supporters, 58 percent disagreed with the opinion, surpassing the 38 percent who agreed with it.

Some LDP lawmakers have proposed alternatives to a dual-surname system, such as allowing spouses to use their maiden names at their jobs and on other occasions—but to be legally registered under the same surname as their spouses.

The CDP is exploring ways to submit a revision bill to introduce a dual-surname system.

The LDP’s coalition partner, Komeito, had once submitted its own proposal for a two-surname system to the Diet in 2001. It has proposed establishing a place to discuss the issue within the ruling coalition.

Related News