U.N. body again urges Japan to allow separate surnames for couples

U.N. body again urges Japan to allow separate surnames for couples

The requirement is stipulated in Article 750 of the current Civil Code. The provision dates back over a century to the prewar Civil Code

UN forgot that in Japan everything will take centuries to change, even from polls it shows that majority Japanese support separate surnames.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/10/68005b11e303-focus-japan-election-puts-couples-right-to-choose-surname-in-spotlight.html

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240916/p2g/00m/0na/005000c

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15356597

If the people really want it they will elect more leaders who include that on their platform

Let them mind their own business. There are a lot more urgent matters the UN should use its efforts and resources for.

UN forgot that in Japan everything will take centuries to change

True.

The One World Government wants to tell Japan what to do. Japan decided no and has stuck to their guns. Suck it globalists.

Focus on fixing the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and leave Japan alone!

The UN should just mind their own business!

Do they know the meaning of sovereignty?

Like every independent country can do as it pleases.

Or, are they implying that Japan must comply or else?

UN should care about more important problems like IL agression in Middle East for example where is completely toothless...let jpn gov decide what they want to do abt surnames...

Maybe this might play a small part in the birthrate decline, the world slowly changes and it is either adapt or cease to exist

The United Nations does nothing but sucks up funds, pushing absurd globalist agendas while ignoring real issues. Instead of meddling in family names and telling couples they need separate surnames - something that has no bearing on global well-being - maybe they should focus on holding the WEF and WHO accountable for the massive failures surrounding a certain mRNA vaccine, lockdowns, and the damage they inflicted on economies worldwide.

Countless people are still suffering from those decisions, and the U.N. is wasting time on trivial social engineering projects instead of addressing the actually important issues. The U.N. should prioritize accountability and solutions for real crises rather than trying to impose woke policies on private lives.

I suggest that the UN focus on other issues that are sizzling across the globe and leave Japan alone.

No Thank You, Japan will manage it's affairs as it sees fit, so stay out of it UN.

There are many couples with separate family names in Japan. I work with some.

Countless people are still suffering from those decisions, and the U.N. is wasting time on trivial social engineering projects instead of addressing the actually important issues. The U.N. should prioritize accountability and solutions for real crises rather than trying to impose woke policies on private lives.

What is "woke" about having a different last name? Does that mean being a foreign national in Japan is "woke" too as well as trying to learn a different language or do anything at all that is different than the cultural norm?

Well "Ken", allow me to explain it to you - what's woke here isn’t simply having a different last name; it’s the constant push by elites and global organizations to dismantle cultural traditions under the guise of “progress.”

It’s about pushing for changes that most people never asked for and trying to make people feel backward for valuing heritage and family unity.

This isn’t about individuality or learning new languages; it’s about top-down social engineering that forces “diversity” while undermining what actually holds societies together.

Real progress respects cultural roots and family values - values that shouldn’t be rewritten just to fit a globalist agenda or cater to ideological trends.

This is ridiculous on so many levels. We have a war in Europe, war in the ME and China threatening Taiwan, and the UN spends time and money to stick their nose into a sovereign country's domestic legal structure? If nothing, it proves how the UN wastes it's funds on useless issues. Which is all the more ridiculous as Japan is the third largest contributor to the UN.

Perhaps the UN would like to pay for the massive change that would be needed to Japan's long standing Koseki system in order to comply with their suggestion.

Well "Ken", allow me to explain it to you - what's woke here isn’t simply having a different last name; it’s the constant push by elites and global organizations to dismantle cultural traditions under the guise of “progress.”

Firstly you don't understand what "woke" means, you are using the Twitter definition which categorizes everything you don't understand into the same box you use when you call something "woke"

Real progress respects cultural roots and family values - values that shouldn’t be rewritten just to fit a globalist agenda or cater to ideological trends

And secondly nobody is being forced to do anything. If the family WANTS to have different last names they can. There is no BS throwing away values, nobody said men can no longer pass down last names, nobody said women can no longer change their last names. It is making a new option that didn't really exist.

Why it matters so much to people who would never be affected by it is something I don't understand? You're not about to marry a woman who is on the fence about changing her last name, you're not a woman who is being discriminated against. Why do you use so much energy to care in such a negative way about something that has no relation to you?

This is ridiculous on so many levels. We have a war in Europe, war in the ME and China threatening Taiwan, and the UN spends time and money to stick their nose into a sovereign country's domestic legal structure? If nothing, it proves how the UN wastes it's funds on useless issues. Which is all the more ridiculous as Japan is the third largest contributor to the UN.

The UN is not 1 person, they have different branches, sections and people. And perhaps it is important because of how much Japan contributes

Firstly you don't understand what "woke" means, you are using the Twitter definition which categorizes everything you don't understand into the same box you use when you call something "woke"

You know exactly what woke is: it's an ideology that pushes progressive agendas at the expense of traditional values, personal freedoms, and national identity. An attempt to impose forced political correctness on society, rewriting history, silencing opposing views, and prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion over merit, individual rights, or cultural heritage. They're agendas driven by elites and globalist institutions that promote "social justice" causes, not to empower people but to gain control, destabilize cultural foundations, and erode core societal values.

Why it matters so much to people who would never be affected by it is something I don't understand? You're not about to marry a woman who is on the fence about changing her last name, you're not a woman who is being discriminated against. Why do you use so much energy to care in such a negative way about something that has no relation to you?

This isn’t about “thinking about myself”- which would be the height of selfishness - it’s about preserving the family values and traditions that strengthen society as a whole, which I care about deeply. When globalist institutions push for things like this, it’s more than a personal choice; it’s an agenda chipping away at family unity. These changes affect everyone by undermining the shared customs that bind us together. Caring about this isn’t selfish - on the contrary, it’s about defending a foundation that’s bigger than any one individual (me or you), for the sake of future generations who deserve to inherit strong, rooted traditions - not social experiments.

. . . family cohesiveness may work better when family members see themselves as being of the same family group; hence, same family name . . . . different names may work toward divisiveness . . . .

You know exactly what woke is: it's an ideology that pushes progressive agendas at the expense of traditional values, personal freedoms, and national identity. An attempt to impose forced political correctness on society, rewriting history, silencing opposing views, and prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion over merit, individual rights, or cultural heritage. They're agendas driven by elites and globalist institutions that promote "social justice" causes, not to empower people but to gain control, destabilize cultural foundations, and erode core societal values.

You're only half right, the way you describe it is very weaponized if anything. And if anything was about preserving family values there wouldn't be any foreigners in Japan as you know in the past things were more different so it is a be careful what you wish for sort of thing. As well as if you don't keep up with how the world changes you and your descendants won't survive. The declining birthrate is a big problem and has more of a critical impact than what a persons last name may be. If any issue that is a more important issue that an unaffected bystander should focus on. Hence why to me it seems less about perseverance of a culture that isn't yours and ,more like an excuse to try to keep women in check.

Wait? Isn't this already a thing? Or is the rule different for Japanese women who marry foreign men?

There is some cruelty going on here, but I don't think it's coming from the UN.

Japanese companies, families, and society ( nationalist ) don't want your family name to exist within public record.

A lot of happy foreign men marry these women and understand NOTHING about the significance of the "Koseki". That document means a lot more than most here understand. The weight is real.

KenToday  10:11 am JST

This is ridiculous on so many levels. We have a war in Europe, war in the ME and China threatening Taiwan, and the UN spends time and money to stick their nose into a sovereign country's domestic legal structure? If nothing, it proves how the UN wastes it's funds on useless issues. Which is all the more ridiculous as Japan is the third largest contributor to the UN.

The UN is not 1 person, they have different branches, sections and people.

No kidding. But it all emanates out of the same budget.

And perhaps it is important because of how much Japan contribute*

What does that even mean? China is the second largest contributor to the UN but you don't see them making an issue out of their treatment of the Uighur popoulation.

What business is it of the UN?

It was a devastating mistake for the Japanese people that the government ratified the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The Committee's proposal interferes with Japanese domestic policy because most Japanese wish the same surname after the marriage. The UN intends to force nations to abolish their cultures and traditions whose value systems differ. The UN wants to establish the international community that communists used to hope to build. Under such a world, people hold the same value perspective, and forget their own nationalities. The Japanese government should withdraw from the Committee and reject to ratify the Committee.

Hence why to me it seems less about perseverance of a culture that isn't yours and ,more like an excuse to try to keep women in check.

Is that a male feminist assertion - assuming anyone who cares about tradition just wants to “keep women in check”? This isn’t about control; it’s about preserving values that create strong families and stable communities, something male feminists seem too spineless to understand.

Instead of constantly pandering, maybe try respecting the values that have held societies together for hundreds of generations in an uninterrupted procession.

Or were they all wrong and you're suddenly right?

What does that even mean? China is the second largest contributor to the UN but you don't see them making an issue out of their treatment of the Uighur popoulation.

Are we going to pretend that China won't get butthurt and hold a grudge if asked about that, we already know they are hopeless when it comes to change unless it is the CCP trying to claim territory they don't own

*Is that a male feminist assertion - assuming anyone who cares about tradition just wants to “keep women in check”? This isn’t about control; it’s about preserving values that create strong families and stable communities, something male feminists seem too spineless to understand.*

Is that your go to when you couldn't think of anything better to say? I'm just culturally aware as to why dudes who aren't affected by this are pretending like all of a sudden it's important. Sometimes values are meant to be adjusted, need I remind you yet again interracial relationships and marriages used to be forbidden but you were all for that change or little by little non Japanese residents in Japan are getting better rights over time or would you prefer to always be an outsider who doesn't get any polite hospitality?

tradition is important, koseki is recognized by most couples, is it he names at marriage that is important or the naming of the offspring, I believe the naming/ nationality? of the offspring is already a UN recognized right. My now not so little guy, does not have the burden of my western family name. thankfully, Parents choice.

The UN should stick to indoctrinating Palestinian children with a hatred of the Jews and leave Japan alone

It has nothing to do with being "woke" or with national sovereignty. Forcing couples to share the same surname is a way for the government to continue using the koseki system, which itself makes discrimination possible, for example against burakumin or unwed mothers.

The UN doesn't want to dismantle the Japanese government. It just wants Japan to give its citizens the basic rights they deserve.

the koseki system, which itself makes discrimination possible, for example against burakumin or unwed mothers.

"burakumin" have nothing to do with the koseki system and besides most Japanese don't even know what "burakumin" means anymore. It's an outdated term only kept alive by expats and foreign otaku who want to chide Japan about their xenophobia or racism. Single mothers can register their children in the koseki. Foreign mothers can't...unless married to a Japanese. Koseki registration bestows citizenship upon an individual, which is why unwed foreign mothers are not permitted to register their children. Unwed Japanese mothers most certainly can.

It's certainly an archaic law that is discriminatory towards women. But the U.N. (an almost meaningless organization today) should stay out of Japan's business in this matter.

well said Jay.

PC must end together with woke.

Others telling Japan what Japan needs to do to become part of the 21st century and stop being dead last in gender equality will only cement opposition from the old men in power who say it's an internal issue and chide the UN, saying they don't need to recognize it (but will then turn around and ask for UNESCO certification for everything under the Rising Sun).

Its not always the wife that has to change her surname. Gendo Ikari in "Neon Genesis Evangelion" adopted his wife's surname.

I know a male relative of my Japanese wife, who did not like his surname and when he married, he took over the surname of his wife.

The Japanese law does not single out the female and says it is the woman who must change her surname, the newlywed couple has a choice. How is this 'discrimination of women'?

Our two daughters had no problem about that anyway, they changed to the surname of their husband.

A female employee in the company where I was working took over the surname of the husband, but as she was well-known for many customers since years she just continued to use her maiden name for her work in the office.

The only complaint I know so far is that it is really a lot of paperwork in Japan to change the surname after marriage (and also again after divorce), it's a hassle, time-consuming, it's about taxes, health insurance, passport, driving license, banking accounts and so on.

I

John Kennedy-

What business is it of the UN?

To be honest, not much.

On the other side of the coin, it is also none of the UNs business to bestow "world heritage" labels on places, "intangible assets" etc. That stuff also needs to go.

Please, UN - focus on important things, such as stopping nations like Russia from invading sovereign nations and killing women and children.

The UN should take its nose out of other countries internal affairs.

old men in power who say it's an internal issue and chide the UN, saying they don't need to recognize it (but will then turn around and ask for UNESCO certification for everything under the Rising Sun).

Sure, I'd like an advertising company to help me market my product.

That doesn't mean I want them to tell me how to run my family.