Professor Hiroshi Yoshida of Tohoku University explains the calculation of the decline in surnames on March 22nd, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
About 500 years later, the only Japanese surname will be “Sato”? Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor of economics at Tohoku University, has published an estimate that shows that if the current system of choosing one spouse’s surname at the time of marriage continues, there is a possibility that all Japanese people’s surnames will be “Sato” in 2531. . This is part of a project by the general incorporated association “Asuha”, which aims to realize selective surnames for married couples.
Professor Yoshida said, “It can be said that it is estimated that surnames will be lost.To respect the tradition, culture, and individual feelings that surnames have, we should consider preserving surnames.”
The estimate was based on data from the “surname origin net” site of the IT company “Rixta,” which researches, analyzes, and introduces the origin of surnames from government statistics and telephone directories, and calculates the surname Sato from the total population of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The ratio was calculated.
If the current system continues, the number of marriages with the Sato surname, which is currently the most common, will increase, and if this continues for a long time, it is possible that the surname will be absorbed into the Sato surname, and we estimate the number of years it will take for the number to reach 100%. The population with the Sato surname increased by 0.8% per year due to marriages and the birth of children, and reached 100% in 2531.
If selective separate surnames were introduced, the Sato surname would not account for 100% until 3310.