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Updated Monday, July 12, 2010 10:12 am TWN, By Mari Yamaguchi, AP |
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Japan split over maiden names and foreign suffrageNot that the 47-year old civil rights activist would have had much of an option: In Japan, the law requires only one surname per family — customarily the man's. “One's last name is a key part of one's self-identity,” Sakamoto said. “It's wrong that any of us by law have to change surnames that we've used all our lives, and it is always the women who put up with the burden.” The Democrats promised a progressive agenda when they formed a government, ending 55 years of nearly unbroken conservative rule. The party began working on two bills: one that would allow married couples to keep separate surnames and another that would permit Korean permanent residents in the country to vote in local elections. But preparations for both bills have stalled. Conservative politicians accuse the Democrats of pushing a radical agenda that would wreck Japanese family traditions and even weaken its national security by granting the vote to hundreds of thousands of ethnic Koreans and Taiwanese — without Japanese citizenship — and possibly other nationals too. Such changes “would destroy the country,” warned Sadakazu Tanigaki, leader of the former ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which despite its name is conservative. While the debate over possible tax increases to tackle Japan's burgeoning deficit has dominated the campaign for this weekend's election, these secondary issues could also sway some voters. And a poor showing at the polls could make it hard for the Democrats to move ahead on either bill. Japan is the only Group of Eight nation that requires married couples to have the same family name. Asian neighbors such as China and South Korea also allow married women to have different surnames than their husbands. A growing number of Japanese women, including those who have advanced in corporate and academic ranks, want the same right. Many already use their maiden names as aliases at work. “The Democrats' rule could be our tiny window of opportunity,” said Sakamoto, co-leader of the activist group mNet, which supports changes to Japan's civil code. “The question is whether we can tolerate diversity and create a society that equally treats people with different lifestyles and nationality, including married couples with different surnames and foreign residents.” But that window may already be closing. Comments July 13, 2010 yamadas@ (6) When Japan lost WWII in 1945, Koreans in Japan demanded that they should not be treated as Japanese. So our government contacted the United States and Korean government, and announced that Koreans living in Japan were treated as foreigners. Korean demand was met in full. So they should not be given a say in Japanese politics today. Japan is NOT their country. (7) Taxation on foreigners is nothing to do with voting rights. This is a list of major countries which CATEGORICALLY DENY voting rights by Japanese: Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, United States, Canada, Australia. (8) It is important for you to know that, according to a high-ranking official in the Public Security Agency of Japan, one in 12 Koreans in Japan has direct link to mafia gangs (Yakuza). This indicates that there is virtually no Koreans who don't have indirect links to mafia. Actually most of the serious security incidents after the WWII did happen in relation with Zainichi Koreans. How can we give them political rights? (9) It is also very useful for you to know who are behind all of these "liberal" movement in Japan. The leftist movement or liberals in Japan has historically been led and nurtured by Zainichi Koreans, not by Japanese. In addition, foreigners can become a party member of leftst parties: the ruling DPJ, Social Democrats, and Komeito. Komeito is a political arm of socio-religious movement by Zainichis (South Korean affiliated). The Japan Communist Party does not accept foreigners as a party member, but this party was re-established by Zainichi Koreans (North affiliated) in 1945, and their political agenda is almost the same as those of other leftist parties. Leftist parties in Japan are not political parties for Japanese, but for foreigners. You cannot understand this article without this knowledge. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(1) How to call a person is a core part of the culture. The Taiwanese society has its own way to call and register a person. The Vietnamese society has its own way to call and register a person. The Japanese society has its own rule to call and register a person. No one, especially foreigners, has a right to demand a change the way how we Japanese register a person in an official government registry. This subject is not appropriate to be debated in comparison to "other G8 countries" or "neighbouring countries." "Diversity" is a beautiful word, but you should begin all the discussion from the point that a country should not be ruled in a foreign way.
(2) Contrary to this article, all the opinion polls on this subject clearly show that almost 100% Japanese really want to unify family names after marriage. Almost all Japanese women respond that they feel happiness when family names are unified at marriage. Those who want to keep their original family name are SURPRISINGLY SMALL EXCEPTIONAL fraction in the wider Japanese society. This article is quoting only biased opinion as if they are representing the majority.
(3) A couple is given a right to choose one of the two family names at marriage. Women have an equal right to men when choosing. The law clearly denies the right of intervention by their parents. The marriage is PURELY a matter between the two. You should not describe as if women are forced to concede by pressure from their spouse's family. This is TOTALLY UNTRUE.
(4) Justice Minister Keiko Chiba and Mrs. Yoriko Madoka, another MP, two of the leading advocates, were defeated and lost their seats in the Upper Diet in recent election. This is a very good proof for you readers to know how ordinary people in Japan think about this subject.
(5) Please make a clear distinction between "permanent resident" and "special permanent resident" in Japanese visa system. The former is foreigners who entered Japan legally. The official explanation of the latter is Koreans, Taiwanese and Chinese who came to Japan before WWII and remained in Japan until 1965. But all of "slave labourers" as the writer put it actually went back home at the expense of Japan. (I want to emphasize the fact that a considerable number of Koreans and Taiwanese were promoted to middle- or even high-ranking officials in the Imperial Japan). The fact (and the real problem) about the latter is that they are illegal migrant workers between 1945 - 65 and their descendants. Illegal migrant is not given political rights in any country on the globe.