As Japan has been slow to introduce a system that allows married couples to have different surnames, matchmaking events for people who already have the same surname have emerged as a way to circumvent?surname changes upon marriage under the country’s rules.

Asuniwa, an organization that advocates for a selective dual surname system, and major matchmaking services provider IBJ?have been jointly organizing such events since March.

The surname that participants must have differs for each event.

Four events were held in Tokyo by the end of May, with a total of about 50 people in their 20s to 30s taking part. In June, the first online event drew 14 participants who have the surname Suzuki from across the country, according to the organizers.

Responses from participants have been positive, with one saying they enjoyed talking about similar experiences from having?such a?common surname.

However, it is difficult to organize events for people with uncommon surnames.

91AV原创 Civil Code requires one person in?a married couple to change their surname to the other person’s. A government survey in fiscal 2021 showed that 31.9% of female respondents who were not eager to marry and 8.6% of male such respondents did not want to change their surnames or found doing so to be troublesome.

“Changing one’s surname is costly,” said Yuka Maruyama, an Asuniwa official who plans and manages matchmaking events, citing the hassle of changing surnames on a driver’s license and passport, as well as a sense of identity loss.

“Even if we can help only some people, we hope they will get married without worrying about their surnames,” Maruyama said.

Keeping in mind the goal of creating a society where people can freely choose their surnames, which would render matchmaking events for people with the same surname unnecessary, Maruyama said, “We hope our events will also provide opportunities for people to think about the need for a selective dual surname system.”