Top Court Dismisses Another Appeal Over Surnames
Japan's Supreme Court has turned down another appeal that challenges the constitutionality of legal provisions obliging married couples to use the same surname.
Presiding Justice Kizawa Katsuyuki made the decision late last week.
Aono Yoshihisa, the president of software development firm Cybozu, and three others had filed a suit seeking a total of about 20,000 dollars in damages from the central government.
The plaintiffs argued that Japan's family register law, which requires couples to share the same surnames, disregards the principle of freedom of marriage guaranteed by the Constitution.
They insisted people are at a disadvantage because they cannot use their premarital names in stock transactions and business contracts.
The lower courts turned down the suit, saying the law doesn't violate the Constitution. The courts said disadvantages will be eased as the use of premarital names becomes socially popular.
Last Wednesday, the top court ruled in another similar case that the provisions of the Civil Code and the family register law are constitutional. The court has since rejected similar appeals.