Japanese demographer Yoshida recently revealed that the surname ‘Sato’ is becoming increasingly dominant in Japan, with 1.529% of the population having this name in 2023, a rise of 0.83% from 2022 due to social customs like marriage and inheritance. Of the 130,000 surnames in Japan, ‘Sato’ is the most common, solidifying its position each year as more women adopt their husband’s name post-marriage.
Yoshida predicts that if this trend continues, half of Japan will be ‘Satos’ by 2446 and 100% by 2531. This is largely due to Article 750 of the Civil Code, which requires spouses to share a surname post-marriage, with cultural norms influencing most women to take their husband’s name.
Despite calls for reform, Japan’s male-dominated government shows little interest in changing this tradition, but research suggests that legalizing selective surnames could reduce the dominance of ‘Sato.’ With the population declining, it’s projected that everyone in Japan could have the same surname by the year 3310.
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