Majority of married Japanese women wanted separate surnames: poll

Nikkei survey shows broad support for scrapping name change requirement

Japanese law requires spouses to use the same family name, with 95% of wives taking their husband's surname, according to the government. © Reuters

NATSUMI NAKAI

March 8, 2025 05:24 JST

TOKYO -- Support is growing in Japan for allowing couples to keep their own surnames after marriage, a Nikkei poll shows, with more than half of the married women surveyed saying they would have taken the option if they could.

In the online survey conducted ahead of International Women's Day on Saturday, 63% of all 2,347 respondents across genders and age groups said that separate family names should be an option.