Japan is the only nation where married couples must use the same surname. Critics say it violates women's rights and, unless the rule is scrapped, all Japanese could be surnamed Sato in 500 years.

FOR A COUPLE that has divorced three times, Uchiyama Yukari and Koike Yukio get along remarkably well. The two teachers, who live in the city of Nagano in central Japan, have never fallen out of love.

TOKYO -- While Japan's Civil Code mandates that married couples share the same surname, three out of four couples in the country don't discuss who will change their name upon marriage, a recent survey ...

Japan is widely regarded as the only country that requires married couples to share a single surname, a rule that continues to shape personal decisions and social debate. Against this backdrop, a ...

For centuries, women entering marriage in Japan have been bound by the Confucian notion of personal sacrifice for the good of the family – and that has extended to their names. Encouraged by a sexual ...

Women's rights advocates in Japan have struggled for decades for the right of married couples to have different last names. Japan is the only country where they're required to use one surname, which ...