Komeito team on surname choice meets for first time

January 29 , 2025

Komeito team on surname choice meets for first timeKomeito team on surname choice meets for first time

On January 28, a Komeito “project team” to legalize a selective surname system in Japan held its initial meeting with Chief Representative Tetsuo Saito attending. Saito opened the meeting by noting that the government itself had begun examining the possibility of introducing such a system as far back as 1996 and that it was time to bring the matter to its rightful conclusion. He said Komeito will engage its coalition partner, the Liberal Democratic Party, and reach out to the opposition political parties to arrive at a broad, nonpartisan consensus recognizing the right of women to choose their maiden names in a marriage.

Government officials taking part in the Komeito meeting explained the respective positions of other parties on the issue as well as the administrative hurdles that need to be cleared before a Japanese system is introduced; they also provided briefed the Komeito lawmakers on the state of surname systems adopted by other nations.

Komeito first proposed revising the Civil Law Act to adopt the system in 2001 and has continued to discuss and update its proposal over the years.