Requiring married couples to have the same surname is constitutional, Japan’s Supreme court rules

Japan’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday that requiring married couples to have the same surname is constitutional, dealing a blow to a longtime effort for gender equality in choosing names.

The law does not say which partner must give up his or her name in marriage.

In practice it has almost always been the woman who took the husband’s name. Some women say that is unfair and feel as though their identity is lost.