In recent years, "husband and wife surname" has become a hot social issue in Japan, and has frequently appeared on the Internet and in the media.
This is because all over the world, either it is not mandatory, or couples are allowed to freely choose whether to change their surname or to take a joint surname.
In Japan, on the other hand, strict laws have made it mandatory for couples to choose the same surname after marriage.
Recently, a group that supports open couples has published data from a surprising study.
The study, titled "The 2531 Sato Issue," argues that if Japan continues to pass laws that require people to change to the same surname when they get married, then in about 500 years, there will be only one surname left in Japan: Sato.
Currently, Sato is the largest surname in Japan, accounting for about 1.5% of the entire population.
According to research models, it is possible that by 2531, the entire population of Japan will be able to change their surname to Sato.
In the Meiji era, when Japanese civilians first began to have surnames, there were as many as 130,000 surnames in Japan.
However, in modern times, under the compulsory change of surnames, a few surnames have gradually disappeared.
By the year 2531, everyone in Japan would have the surname Sato.
The group also published an imaginary map of Japanese society in 2531. For example, the door sign of every house reads "Sato".
For another example, all the shop signs have become Sato 〇〇.
For another example, the name on the back of the athlete's team uniform is meaningless, and you can only recognize the person by looking at the number.