Japan’s top court rules married couples must take same surname

The law dictating that a couple must take the same surname when they marry mainly affects women, who say it can create complications for their careers. - Starpix

TOKYO (Bloomberg): Japan’s Supreme Court ruled as constitutional a law that forces married couples to share the same family name, upholding provisions of a 19th cenutry family registration system that critics contend promotes gender bias.

The top court Wednesday (June 23) ruled against a petition brought by three Tokyo couples who tried to submit marriage applications using separate surnames and claimed their inability to do so was a breach of their right to equality under the law enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution.