30 Pct of People in De Facto Marriages Refuse to Change Surnames

   Tokyo, May 6 (Jiji Press)--About 30 pct of people in de facto marriages in Japan have not filed for marriage registration because they or their partners do not want to change their surnames, a survey by a private group has shown.
   Meanwhile, nearly half of such people are willing to file if a system allowing married spouses to use different surnames is introduced in the country, according to the survey.
   As the group's earlier survey had suggested that 2 pct of people in their 20s to 50s in Japan are in de facto marriages, there are an estimated 587,000 people who are waiting for the introduction of such a selective dual surname system.
   The latest survey was conducted in late March by a research firm commissioned by the group, called Asuniwa, which advocates a selective dual surname system. It received responses from about 530 people in their 20s to 50s each among unmarried people, those in de facto marriages, and registered married people.
   As reasons for being in a de facto marriage, 28.9 pct of respondents in such relationships said they or their partners do not want to change their surnames, 23.3 pct said they do not feel the need to register their relationships, and 14.5 pct said they do not want to be treated as part of their partners' families.

(2025/05/06-09:00)

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