Japan Should Let Married Women Keep Names, Business Lobby Says
- Current laws present a business risk, Keidanren says in report
- Group urges government to present bill to parliament soon
Pedestrians cross an intersection in the Shibuya district of Tokyo.
Photographer: Akio Kon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Japan’s big business lobby urged the government to allow married couples to have separate surnames, saying current laws that effectively force married women to go by their husbands’ names for some purposes present a business risk.
Keidanren, which is traditionally supportive of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said in a proposal unveiled Monday that the government should quickly present legislation allowing for surname choice to parliament.