The Liberal Democratic Party headquarters is seen in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward in this file photo. (Mainichi/Akihiro Hirata)
TOKYO — Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will not submit its own bill on introducing a selective separate surname system for married couples during the current Diet session, several senior party officials revealed to the Mainichi Shimbun on May 9.
The largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) already submitted a separate surnames bill in late April, while both the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP) and Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party) plan to submit their own bills separately, reflecting disunity among opposition parties. With the LDP considering imposing party discipline to vote against the opposition bills, prospects have faded for any bill’s passage during this session.
Senior LDP officials, including Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, Policy Research Council chair Itsunori Onodera, and LDP House of Councillors caucus secretary-general Masaji Matsuyama, discussed the issue at the Diet building on May 8. According to informed sources, officials exchanged opinions on strategies to deal with opposition-proposed bills if officially submitted for debate, after deciding against presenting an LDP bill this session.
At this meeting, to avoid numerous LDP members breaking party ranks to vote for opposition bills, officials proposed formally setting forth the party’s “basic stance” against the selective separate surname system at the party’s General Council level and imposing party discipline to ensure a collective vote against the other parties’ bills. Officials also discussed ways the LDP might include the issue as a campaign pledge for this summer’s upper house election, anticipating that no opposition-led bill would pass this session.
Explaining the LDP’s position, one senior official cited complexities in coordinating with related laws, like the Family Register Law, adding, “We cannot hastily put together a bill. Even if the LDP presents a proposal now, it cannot be said that discussions within the party have been sufficiently thorough.” Another senior official said, “This touches on our views of family structure. It deserves careful debate over time.”
Within the LDP, conservatives opposed to introducing the selective separate surname system strongly advocate expanding the use of former surnames for daily life, and their stance is becoming dominant. Nevertheless, consensus-building remains bogged down by differences with those advocating the new system. Behind the party’s move to shelve its own proposal this Diet session lies an apparent wish to avoid party division — with an eye to keeping supporters united ahead of the summer upper house poll.
The CDP submitted its own bill to revise the Civil Code to allow married couples to choose separate surnames in late April to the House of Representatives. The DPFP is also considering an independent bill, but prospects for cooperation with the CDP remain unclear. Nippon Ishin, meanwhile, has outlined a draft bill focused on broadening the use of former surnames, suggesting allowing these surnames to appear alone on official identification documents, though the person’s legal name would remain their married name.
In the Diet, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has repeatedly stated, “I do not believe this is an issue we can indefinitely postpone drawing a conclusion on.” Meanwhile, Komeito, the LDP’s coalition partner, has requested the government to submit legislation favoring the introduction of the selective separate surname system.
(Japanese original by Saori Moriguchi and Yuki Takahashi, Political News Department)