CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.98

The LDP held its presidential election on September 27 and a new
president was elected from among nine candidates. Of the unusually large
field of candidates, the youngest, who was considered a major contender,
faltered. Various media have analyzed his failure to win the presidency,
and one of the reasons has been pointed out to be his attempt to rapidly
promote the separate surname system for married couples.[1]
I am neither for nor against this system. In my case, my fortune would
be better if I changed my family name, so I gladly changed it when I got
married. If people feel inconvenienced, they should not change their
last name. What is so wrong with that? I asked my husband. He gave me a
surprising answer with a straight face.
“This system is being enforced by foreign forces seeking to destroy the
Japanese family register.”
What is he talking about? The promotion of the separate surnames for
married couples has been supported by the business community,
represented by the Keidanren.
I hastily checked the Ministry of Justice website. It clearly stated
that the family register would not be broken by the currently
contemplated separate surname for married couples. The family register
would only be listed with different surnames.

By nature, my husband is a man of common sense, erudite and dedicated to
the education of our children. A few years ago, in anticipation of the
future, he had our college-aged daughter get a drone license.
Why did he believe such a malicious hoax?

Professor Nishigaki, who chaired the CICC committee in the late 90s,
said in his book.
“The world that we see through the Internet is so transparent that it
oscillates between leader chaos, anarchy, and the emergence of absolute
leaders, making it unstable.”
This is where, it seems, the room for hoaxes becomes infested. The fact
that you immediately get the answer you want may also be clouding your
judgment on the internet.
“On the other hand, before the Internet, the world was somewhat opaque,
and thus one could maintain a conservative view of one's values and
worldview. A certain degree of stability can be maintained.”
I recall that when I was in primary school, when there was only TV
media, after a program about UFOs or aliens was broadcast, half the
children at school would believe it and half would say it was a lie.

2024 is an election year. There will be a general election in Japan at
the end of this month and a presidential election in the United States
next month. Although there may be many false rumors flying around in the
Internet space, I would like to choose our candidates correctly.

[1] the separate surname system for married couples:
Under the current Japanese Civil Code, married couples must take the
surname of one of them. Usually, the wife changes to the husband's
surname. It required to change all identification documents, driver's
licenses, bank accounts, passports, etc. This is also inconvenient for
working women, and an increasing number of them continue to use their
maiden name as their “common name. The new system, in which wives can
keep their surnames after getting married, if they so choose is being
considered.

SHIRAKURA Hiroko

(1)Results of FY2023 E-Commerce Market Survey Compiled
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0925_002.html

(2)“The Digital Governance Code 3.0 - Toward Enhancement of Corporate
Value by DX Management -” Formulated
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0919_002.html

(1)NEC uses AI to analyze the trustworthiness of information and support
fact-checking
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202409/global_20240913_01.html

(2)NEC Launches new system using Biometric Authentication Technology
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202409/global_20240903_01.html

(3)NEC to deliver communications, facility control, and data collection
systems for Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit in Indonesia
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202408/global_20240801_01.html

(4)VitalLife and Bumrungrad International Hospital in Thailand Launch
NEC's FonesVisuas Test
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202407/global_20240718_01.html

(5)Singtel and Hitachi Expand Collaboration to Next-Generation Data
Centers and GPU Cloud to Accelerate Enterprise Digital Transformation by
AI Adoption
https://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2024/08/240826a.html

(6)Hitachi and KDDI Announce the Contents of a Joint Exhibition in Expo
2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan's "Society 5.0 and Future City"
https://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2024/08/240828b.html

(7)Fujitsu and Supermicro announce strategic collaboration to develop
green AI computing technology and liquid-cooled datacenter solutions
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2024/1003-01.html

(8)Fujitsu and Stellar Science Foundation form partnership agreement to
foster innovation by supporting young researchers
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2024/0919-01.html