OJapanese citizens will all have the same family name within 500 years unless couples are allowed to use separate surnames, a new study suggests.
The study, led by Hiroshi Yoshida, professor of economics at Tohoku University, and cited by The Guardian, says that if Japan continues to insist that couples choose a single nickname, all Japanese people will be known as ‘Sato-san’ until 2531.
“If everyone becomes Sato, we may have to be called by our first names or by numbers,” said the professor.
Sato is already at the top of the list of Japanese surnames, representing 1.5% of the total population, according to a March 2023 study, with Suzuki in second place.
The study published in March only reached social media this Monday, April 1st, leading many internet users to believe that it was a typical lie of the day.
A nation of ‘Satos’ “will not only be inconvenient but will also undermine individual dignity”, he continued, adding that the trend would also lead to the loss of family and regional heritage.
According to Yoshida’s calculations, the proportion of Japanese people named Sato increased by 1.0083 times from 2022 to 2023. Assuming the rate remains constant and there is no change in the law on surnames, about half of the Japanese population will have this name in 2,446 , increasing to 100% in 2531.
Couples in Japan have to choose which surname to share when they get married, but in 95% of cases it is the woman who changes her name.
Although the government has allowed maiden names to appear alongside married names on passports, driving licenses and residency certificates, Japan remains the only country that requires spouses to use the same name.
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