<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/japan-sato-only-name-by-2531-marriage-law>
"Japanese citizens will all have the same family name in 500 years’ time unless
married couples are permitted to use separate surnames, a new study has
suggested as part of a campaign to update a civil code dating back to the late
1800s.
The study, led by Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor of economy at Tohoku University,
projected that if Japan continues to insist that couples select a single
surname, every single Japanese person will be known as “Sato-san” by 2531.
Yoshida conceded that his projections were based on several assumptions, but
said the idea was to use numbers to explain the present system’s potential
effects on Japanese society to draw attention to the issue.
“If everyone becomes Sato, we may have to be addressed by our first names or by
numbers,” he said, according to the
Mainichi. “I don’t think that would be a
good world to live in.”
Sato already tops the list of Japanese surnames, accounting for 1.5% of the
total population, according to a March 2023 survey, with Suzuki a close
second."
Via Christoph S, who wrote "In the end it could be like in Iceland where the
phone book is sorted by first name"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
