More support for same-sex marriages, dual surnames among Japan’s electorate

Japanese voters, including voters for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), are increasingly supporting the adoption of dual surnames by married couples, and half of them also support legalising same-sex marriages in the country, a recent survey has found.

The joint survey by The Asahi Shimbun daily newspaper and a team led by Professor Masaki Taniguchi, a professor of political science at the University of Tokyo, revealed this shift in attitudes.

On Feb 28, questionnaires were sent to 3,000 randomly selected eligible voters across Japan. By April 11, 66 per cent, or 1,967 of them, had replied, reported The Asahi Shimbun on Monday. 

The survey found that 60 per cent of the respondents were in favour of married couples having dual surnames, while 50 per cent supported same-sex marriages. 

“More voters, including LDP supporters, back both the dual-surname system and same-sex marriages than those who oppose them,” Prof Taniguchi said in the report.

“In contrast, although an increasing number of LDP Diet members are supporting these ideas, more of them still opposed them. 

“In particular, more conservative-leaning lawmakers within the party are persistently against these notions.”

Increased support for dual surnames among married couples

Respondents in the survey were asked to choose from five answers whether they support giving married couples the option to have separate surnames.

A total of 60 per cent were in favour by choosing either “support” or “rather support” it; just 13 per cent of respondents opposed the notion.

The report said that among LDP supporters, 53 per cent were in favour of the dual surname system, while 17 per cent opposed.

Thirty per cent of LDP supporters remained neutral by choosing “cannot say” to whether married couples should be allowed to have different surnames.

Over the years, LDP voters have increased their support for married couples adopting dual surnames.

In a 2014 survey, 36 per cent of LDP voters supported the notion.

The figure fell to 33 per cent in a 2017 survey, but reached 54 per cent in the 2020 and 2022 surveys, said the report.

More supporting same-sex marriages

The survey also found that more people supported same-sex marriages. 

Half of the respondents were in favour of legalising same-sex marriages, while 31 per cent were neutral and 19 per cent were opposed to the notion.

More LDP backers, or 40 per cent of them, were in favour of same-sex marriages, while 24 per cent were not supportive. 

The report noted that 36 per cent of LDP supporters, more than the 32 per cent in the previous survey in 2022, chose the “cannot say” answer, reflecting their mixed feelings on the issue.

The report also said that LDP election candidates hold contrasting views with those of voters about these topics.

It added that a survey conducted before the 2022 Upper House election found that more LDP candidates, or 34 per cent, opposed allowing married couples to have separate surnames than the 24 per cent who supported it.

Among the nine major political parties, the LDP was the only party whose candidates expressed more opposition to the idea than supported it, added the report. 

In addition, only 14 per cent of LDP candidates were in favour of same-sex marriages, while 30 per cent of them were opposed, said the report.