image courtesy Mainichi Shimbun Despite today's date, this is not an April Fool's prank. At a press conference in Tokyo last weekend, professor Hiroshi Yoshida from the Tohoku University Research Center for Aged Economy and Society, sounded the alarm bell for a looming crisis. By the year 2531, e

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/12861354

Despite today’s date, this is not an April Fool’s prank. At a press conference in Tokyo last weekend, professor Hiroshi Yoshida from the Tohoku University Research Center for Aged Economy and Society, sounded the alarm bell for a looming crisis. By the year 2531, everyone in Japan will have the surname Sato.

    • smeg@feddit.ukOPEnglish
      4·
      9 months ago

      It’s an honour to have you here in the comments, Professor Yoshida

  • clara@feddit.uk
    8·
    9 months ago

    japan should takes notes from vietnam, which is following the path to this outcome, but for different reasons. taken from vietcetera:

    In the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802 - 1945), people with great merit to the royal family were awarded by being given the national family name. They would have the same surname as that of the royal family members.

    apparently the royal family handed this name out a bit too freely, the end result is that 40% of the population now uses one surname.

    a yearbook page, where all surnames end in nguyen

  • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
    2·
    9 months ago

    including the assumption that Japan never amends their law that mandates married couples share the same surname.

    It doesn’t specify which surname.

    • smeg@feddit.ukOPEnglish
      21·
      9 months ago

      Later in that same paragraph though:

      Given that more than 95% of wives in Japan take their husband’s surname, the single-surname rule not only drives down the diversity of surnames but also adds fuels to the fire of gender inequality.