Could everyone in Japan be named Sato in 500 years?

According to a report by CNN and The Guardian, a new study warned that everyone in Japan could be named Sato in 500 years unless laws change to allow couples to have different surnames.

The study's author, Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor of economics at Tohoku University, conceded to The Guardian that he based his projections on several assumptions.

However, as the newspaper recounted, Sato is already the most common Japanese surname. According to a March 2023 survey, around 1.5% of the population holds it.

Yoshida's calculations reveal a startling trend: Satos grew 1.0083 times from 2022 to 2023. Half the population would bear the name by 2446 at this rate, underscoring the urgency for change.

Mr. Yoshida emphasized to the local newspaper Asahi Shimbun that a nation of Satos would not only be inconvenient but, more significantly, "undermine individual dignity."

The study was part of a campaign to push for a change in Japan's 1800's civil code, which some groups in the country consider outdated.

The law requires married couples to have the same name, which forces one member, usually a woman, to change their name in every legal document.

According to The Guardian and CNN, Japan is the only country still requiring a name change. However, the procedure is voluntary in all other nations.

The campaign is part of a long battle by interest groups, especially those defending women's rights, to change the law and allow women to have a different surname from their husbands.

According to The Guardian, the Think Name Project, which advocates for only voluntary name changes, commissioned Yoshida's study.

The law in Japan requires marriages to have the same name; it does not state which person in the couple must change it. Still, according to The Guardian, it is the woman in 95% of cases.

The newspaper ran a story about how the name change affected women's careers, from academics who lost all their research production to executives who had problems dealing with international partners and clients.

Despite 84% of companies allowing women to keep their maiden name for work-related documents, the disparity with their national documents is still a problem, especially for those who travel.

According to The Guardian, conservative members of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party argue that the Civil Code protects family unity and prevents confusion in children.

However, Machiko Osawa, a professor and specialist in labor economics at Japan Women’s University, told the newspaper that Japan's divorce rate is equal to that of other developed nations, and name-change does not necessarily influence unity.

The law's detractors argue that allowing name changes to be optional is a way to move the country toward the future and eliminate archaic and discriminatory practices.