DPJ To OK Separate Surnames For Married Couples

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Govt 'to let couples use 2 surnames'
The government intends to introduce a system that will give married couples the right to use separate surnames, according to government sources. The government reportedly plans to submit a bill to revise the Civil Code -- which stipulates that married couples must have the same surname -- to an ordinary session of the Diet next year, at the earliest. If the revision is realized, it would be the first major change to the law in the six decades since its inception. The surname rule for married couples was stipulated in the Civil Code in 1947. The...Liberal Democratic Party strongly opposed the idea, saying it might damage family unity and lead to the collapse of family relations...The planned bill to be proposed by the DPJ and its allies reportedly stipulates that couples can choose whether to adopt a common surname when they get married. In addition, the minimum age for marriage reportedly will be changed to 18 for both men and women. The contents of the bill reportedly are mostly in line with [a 1996] Legislative Council's report. But the DPJ and the ministry may need to adjust their plan with regard to some points. For example, the ministry's report stipulates that all the children of a married couple with separate surnames should use the surname of only one parent, but the DPJ reportedly aims to allow each child to choose the surname of either parent...more...

[Behan]

When my wife and I got married, the yakuba incorrectly told us that my wife couldn't take my name and we had separate family names for several years. She ended up going to Katei Saiban, I think it was, to have it changed to mine.

[FG Lurker]

When we got married we were told my wife could choose to either take my name or keep her own. It seems to be a special service for women who got suckered into marrying gaijin.

She took my name and the idiot oyaji behind the counter fucked up the katakana "spelling" on the koseki. He insisted it was impossible to fix (ie he didn't want to have to admit the fuckup to his boss) until I got REALLY FUCKING ANGRY. The appearance of a large and extremely angry gaijin seemed to magically make it possible to fix the spelling.

[maraboutslim]

[Doctor Stop]

There are already wards that allow wives to choose whether they take their husband's surname or not, so WTF?

[kurogane]

OOOOK. Back to the future

Japanese Top Court Upholds Law Requiring Spouses to Share Surname

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/wor ... e27778957/

The Supreme Court said in its ruling that “it is only reasonable for family members to have the same name,” Kyodo news agency reported. The court also noted that many women are able to use their maiden names in daily life, so their situation has improved, and it called on parliament to debate the issue.

That point about the use of maiden names was mighty white of them. Many of them are known to allow their wives to wipe their bottoms as a special gesture to gender equality. At least this time they were honest and used some proper Mr. Poopypants logic instead of the previous legalistic quibbling about the law being gender neutral. A fair point about the need for parliament to address the issue, though. Judicial activism is never a desired path unless things are so crap it's the only option.

[matsuki]

LOL, here too?

Sorta related but I know two grrrls recently that "divorced" because they found out their "spouse" was already married. Being FG, I'm guessing the previous marriage was registered overseas and just never registered in Japan? (first marriage was to a JPN national, just different part of Japan) Oh what fun they have had. Having a harem is one thing, two wives? hahahahahaha no thank you.