New Diet Group To Work On Names Of Married Couples
A group of lawmakers from Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party is set to launch a new Diet group to advocate for a legal change that would allow married couples to use different surnames.
The lawmakers plan to hold the group's first meeting next Thursday.
Former defense minister Hamada Yasukazu is expected to be the group's leader. Likely members include LDP Executive Acting Secretary-General Noda Seiko, and former chairperson of the LDP Policy Research Council, Kishida Fumio.
The group believes the current system, which mandates that married couples share the same family name, undermines the dignity of people who don't wish to change their surname. They warn it could even be a disincentive to marriage.
The move comes as the LDP prepares to resume discussions on the issue by setting up a working group presided over by former LDP secretary general Ishihara Nobuteru. The party last held talks on the matter at the end of last year.
The LDP remains divided over the issue.
Some LDP Diet members who oppose change have sent letters to local assembly members urging a cautious approach to the issue.
Some opposition lawmakers, including members of the Constitutional Democratic Party, are calling for the system to be overhauled. They say some people who are unable to use their own surname encounter problems in their work and day-to-day life.