SOCIETY
Divorced but Still Sharing a Futon: Inside Japan’s “Cohabiting Divorce”
As Japan's divorce rate goes down, some experts say the country is seeing a rise in couples who stay together even after…
koseki
SOCIETY
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Japan Discovers Changing Your “Kira-Kira” Name is Cheap (But Not Easy)
A viral post brings to light that changing a name in Japan is much cheaper than you might think... but that doesn't…
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Why Does Japan Have So Many Last Names Compared to China and Korea?
Why does Japan have hundreds of thousands of surnames while China and Korea rely on a handful? The answer lies in a…
HISTORY
Kaneko Fumiko: The Japanese Anarchist Who Died Young Defying the Emperor
The state never even recorded her birth. A century after the Japanese anarchist Kaneko Fumiko died in prison at 23, condemned for…
WOMEN
Japanese Announcer Uses Common-Law Marriage to Dodge Country’s Surname Law
TBS announcer Yamamoto Erika kept her name by choosing common-law marriage over a legal one - but she'll get married if the…
LGBTQ
Osaka High Court: Japan’s Family Registry Discriminates Against Non-Binary People
An Osaka High Court ruling found that Japan's gender-binary family register violates Article 14 of the Japanese Constitution. But it dismissed the…
CULTURE
Why 3,000 People in Japan Claim the Imperial Palace Is Their Home
Japan's registered domicile law means that, when you get married, you can claim you hail from anywhere in the country. And many…
SOCIETY
Poll: Over Half of Married Japanese Women Wanted to Keep Their Maiden Names
Politicians are still duking out the merits of changing the Meiji-era law forcing joint spousal surnames.