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2024 November 27 - December 3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP EC Chair talks with women NGO Shinfujin regarding cooperation toward realizing selective dual surname system

The New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin) on November 27 held a day of action, including lobbying Dietmembers and petitioning government ministries and agencies, in regard to the introduction of a selective dual surname system and other demands with more than 120 Shinfujin members participating.

As part of this action, Shinfujin Chair Yoneyama Junko and Shinfujin Secretary General Yuigahama Naoko met with Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko at her office in the Dietmembers’ office building. Shinfujin activists asked Tamura for JCP cooperation in pushing for the introduction of a system that gives an option of using different surnames to married couples.

Criticizing the current same surname rule under which a husband and wife must have the same family name upon marriage, a young Shinfujin member complained, “I have to use my husband’s surname on legal documents while keeping my maiden name at work. This is really inconvenient.”

Tamura said that it is unacceptable that individual people have difficulty in protecting their dignity due to the old-fashioned rule, and expressed her determination to work hard to have a bill on this issue adopted in the House of Representatives.

Shinfujin also visited JCP Central Committee Chair Shii Kazuo at his office in the Diet members’ office building. The women’s rights organization handed to the JCP CC Chair a written request calling for peace diplomacy based on dialogue and the cancellation of the planned huge arms buildup.

Shii said that it is a matter of course that the military expansion should be cancelled. Regarding Shinfujin’s call for peace diplomacy based on dialogue, Shii referred to his participation in the 12th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Phnom Phen. He said that the ICAPP assembly adopted a document declaring the creation of peace with dialogue and inclusivity, and added that this indicates that neutrality and non-alignment is a major trend in Asia. He expressed his determination to work hard to strengthen this trend.