A Japanese couple who got married by choosing a different surname in the United States filed a trial with the Tokyo Family Court on the 4th, asking them to accept the marriage registration with a different surname in Japan.
Film director Kazuhiro Soda and film producer Kiyoko Kashiwagi married in 1997 in New York, USA, choosing a different surname.
In Japan, I submitted a marriage registration to Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo last month asking me to keep my surname in the family register, but it was not accepted due to the provisions of the Civil Code that does not allow married couples to have different surnames. It means that he filed a trial with the family court.
The two have already filed a lawsuit against the government to confirm that they have a marriage relationship in Japan, and the Tokyo District Court admitted last year that "marriage is valid in Japan," while "family register." It is more appropriate to file a complaint with the family court. "
Mr. Soda, who had a press conference after the marriage registration was rejected, said, "Although it was admitted in the court that it was married, it was not reflected in the family register, causing inconveniences in various situations such as insurance and taxes. There is a contradiction in the legal system, and I want the country to proceed with legislation. "
In addition, Mr. Kashiwagi said, "In Japan, even if I call myself" Kashiwagi ", I have been called by my husband's name, and I have felt inequality. I respect the desire to" live with this name "regardless of gender. I want you to become a society where you can be. "