Japan’s Reluctance to “Selective Marriage and Same-Sex Marriage” Highlighted by Ayaka Wada, a Former Anjumu Married in Taiwan

In Taiwan, married couples are required to use separate surnames.

Former member of the female idol group “Angulum” and TV personality Ayaka Wada (31) announced her marriage on her Instagram on April 17.

Her partner is a 33-year-old from Taiwan,

She states that she will not specify or publicly state the gender of her partner.

However, she stated that she got married in Taiwan because same-sex marriage and separate surnames can be freely realized in Taiwan.

This marriage once again highlights the reluctance of the Koichi administration to legalize same-sex marriage and introduce a selective married couple surname system.

Wada is

[Joon] chose to marry in Taiwan, his partner’s home country, because he has long supported same-sex marriage and the ability to choose a married couple’s surname. In Taiwan, we are free to do either.

After revealing such things as the following,

In my case, I am married internationally, so I can choose a different surname in Japan, but I hope that not only I, but anyone who wants to do so, can lead a life that is unique to them. I hope that selective surnames and same-sex marriage will be realized here in Japan as soon as possible.

I hope that these issues will be realized here in Japan as soon as possible.

In Taiwan, the Judicial Yuan, the highest judicial organ, ruled in ‛17 that the provisions of the current Civil Code that do not recognize same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, and a special law was enacted in ‛19 to guarantee marriages between people of the same sex over 18 years old. In addition, under Taiwan’s civil law, married couples are required to use separate surnames even after marriage. If they wish to use the same surname, the wife or husband is allowed to register their spouse’s surname in the family register,” said a legal expert.

In Japan, the Asahi Shimbun reported on March 26 that the Supreme Court accepted the plaintiffs’ appeal on March 25 in six lawsuits filed by same-sex couples against the government on the grounds that the Civil Code and Family Registration Law do not recognize same-sex marriage, in violation of the Constitution, and decided to issue a unified decision as early as fiscal ‛26.

Of the six lawsuits, five were ruled unconstitutional by the high court, and one was ruled constitutional. The Supreme Court’s decision will be the focus of attention, and if it is found to be unconstitutional, the government should enact the law as soon as possible.

There is a certain number of people who say “absolutely not.

On the other hand, as for selective surnames, Wada wrote

The Takaichi administration is against institutionalizing selective surnames, saying it will consider a legal system that would allow people to use their maiden name as the sole name on official certificates. However, in the family register, separate surnames remain unrecognized. Some couples choose de facto marriage in order to pass a separate surname, but the fact that they are not legally married causes various disadvantages, such as not being allowed tax deductions for medical expenses. Nevertheless, the administration’s rejection of selective surnames is believed to be due to the ultra-conservative view of patriarchy, in which the male head of the family (father, grandfather, etc.) has central authority, as the golden rule. This is probably the reason why they are reluctant to accept a female emperor,” said a legal expert.

The current administration seems to be backward-looking.

Incidentally, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (69) appeared on TBS radio’s “Ogigami Chiki Session” on November 13, 2011, in response to a listener’s question about what is the biggest obstacle in the LDP toward the realization of selective surnames for married couples,

There are people who say, ‘Absolutely not. ‘Whether it is selective or not, if we have separate surnames for married couples, it will break up the family, it will break up the home. I am not sure if this is really true, but if they say it is absolutely true, the conversation will not go any further,” he said.

He said. He also commented on same-sex marriage, saying

I think the government should make efforts to realize the rights of each individual, but again, there are a certain number of people who say ‘absolutely not,'” he said.

It seems that the two issues have taken a major step backward with the advent of the Takaichi administration.

In any case, the government’s rejection of the legalization of same-sex marriage and the implementation of selective surnames for married couples can be said to be an anachronism in the midst of the global trend. Perhaps the Takaichi administration needs to change its mind and make this a reality in Japan as soon as possible.