The Japanese government is moving toward submitting a bill next year to legally allow people who changed their surnames upon marriage to use their maiden names in more situations.

The initiative is included in the coalition agreement between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai (the Japan Innovation Party).

The agreement states that while maintaining the current system regarding married couples to share the same surname, the government will establish a system that gives legal validity to the use of maiden names in various aspects of social life,

Meanwhile, regarding continued calls for allowing married couples to keep separate surnames, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Sato Kei said only that “it is necessary to take public opinion and parliamentary discussions into account.