It’s rare for Japanese celebrities to wade into domestic politics. However, Hikaru Utada is a rare talent who’s not shy about standing up for what they believe in. The singer is currently causing waves for coming out in favor of allowing married Japanese women to keep their maiden names.
A rare political statement
The song, “Mine or Yours,” is the latest release from the famous singer-songwriter. It was featured in a commercial for Ayataka tea in March. The full version was just released on May 2nd.
The song includes the lyric 「令和何年になったらこの国で 夫婦別姓OKされるんだろう」- “I wonder in what year of Reiwa [the current Imperial era] separate spousal surnames will be given the okay in this country.”
The lyric refers to a Meiji-era law that we’ve covered in detail, requiring Japanese nationals who marry to choose a joint surname. Since most men refuse to change their names, this results in women losing their maiden names.
There has been debate about changing the law for years now. However, right-wing elements of the dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have opposed the change on the grounds that it would erode the structure of Japanese families and cause confusion among children.
The 1898 law was originally based on European laws, which have since been repealed. Polling consistently shows that a majority of the Japanese public supports changing the law. Another recent survey showed that, if allowed, half of married Japanese women would have chosen to keep their maiden surnames.
It’s unusual for celebrities of Utada’s caliber in Japan to take controversial political stances. One notable exception is in 2020, when multiple celebrities and artists, including Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, spoke out over then-Prime Minister Abe Shinzō’s attempt to keep a close friend installed as Japan’s public prosecutor.
Utada is no stranger to taking a stance. In June 2021, they came out as nonbinary, being one of the first major Japanese figures to do so. (Utada, according to their Instagram profile, uses either she/her or they/them pronouns. This article uses they/them.)
Will there be a backlash?
Reaction to Utada’s statement was, not surprisingly, negative among right-leaning social media accounts. Some on X said Utada has no right to speak on the issue as they weren’t born in Japan.
Utada was born in the US; however, they sing almost exclusively in Japanese for a Japanese-speaking audience. Based on social media posts they’ve made in the past about voting in the US, some believe they’ve retained their Japanese national status even though Japan does not legally allow for dual citizenship. Utada currently lives in the United Kingdom and travels frequently to both Japan and the US.
Others pulled out the tired “artists shouldn’t meddle in politics” line. One even referred to separate spousal surnames as “Communism.” (I kid you not.) Conversely, some praised the singer for taking a stance even though it could cost them support.
Will the controversy hurt Utada? Unlikely. The singer debuted in 1988 with their album First Love and has topped Japanese charts ever since. Utada likely has enough of a fortune to withstand any economic backlash.
The opposing voices online seem mostly to come from within the right-wing echo chamber, though. Given that public polling consistently shows support for separate spousal surnames, it’s hard to believe that Utada will face economic consequences over using what power they have to do a little good.
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Sources
宇多田ヒカルの新曲に、選択的夫婦別姓を望む歌詞。「ありがとう」「びっくり」と反響. Huffington Post Japan
Hikaru Utada came out as non-binary to raise awareness of gender identities in Japan. Yahoo! Life Singapore
