When Foreign Minister Taro Kono wrote on Twitter that he would order his ministry to look into the contentious issue of maiden names on passports in response to a tweet in early June, he may not have been aware of the minefield he was about to step into.
The issue has been a vexing one for some. And with female empowerment guidelines released this year by the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledging to ease passport rules to allow for the full-fledged use of maiden names within the fiscal year, it is again being thrust into the national spotlight.
Japan is the only country in the world that doesn¡¯t allow married couples to officially use different surnames, a Justice Ministry official told the Lower House¡¯s Judicial Affairs Committee in March 2018. Rather, the country¡¯s Civil Code requires married couples to choose either the surname of the wife or husband.
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