Japan’s ruling LDP to resume talks on selective dual surname system for married couples

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has confirmed that an internal working group will resume discussions on changing the law to allow women to retain their maiden name after marriage, giving rise to optimism among advocates of gender equality.

They caution, however, that conservative and traditionally minded elements still exercise a significant amount of influence on the party and could delay or even derail the discussions, no matter the support that the measure has among the general public.

“I am hopeful because this is certainly a step in the right direction, but there has been optimism in the past and we are still talking about the issue,” said Hiromi Murakami, a professor of political science at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.

“But I do think the situation has changed now, particularly because the LDP did so poorly in the general election and they are now in the minority, even when they work with their ally Komeito,” she told This Week in Asia.

“That defeat, and the support among the majority of the opposition parties for a selective dual surname system, really forced [Prime Minister Shigeru] Ishiba to restart this working group.”

LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama announced on Tuesday that the party would reconvene the panel in the coming weeks.