Effects of introduction of the system of a married couple using separate surnames through revision of the Civil Law

一项允许已婚夫妇保留原姓的新制度对选择这一制度的家庭的影响进行了调查。特别是，该系统与儿童身份发展之间的关系通过问卷调查，实验利用儿童对日本汉字的偏好，并采访18岁及以上的孩子，因为父母离婚或再婚等原因经历了姓氏的变化。结果表明，大多数小孩对汉字产生兴趣是因为他们的名字。在父母离婚或再婚后改变姓氏的孩子中，会给孩子带来问题，因为他们必须向周围的人解释这种变化。另一方面，这些孩子往往更重视与他们现实生活有关的事情，对家庭姓氏没有什么依恋，更重视他们实际的家庭关系。

Effects of a new system allowing married couples to retain their original surnames, on families that have chosen this system was investigated. Especially, the relationship between the system and the development of children's identity was examined through a questionnaire survey, experiments using children's preferences for Japanese Kanji characters, and interviews with children aged 18-years or older that experienced a change in surnames because of parents' divorce, or re-marriage, among other reasons. The results indicated that most small children developed an interest in Kanji characters because of their names. In children that had experienced Changing surnames after parent's divorce, or re-marriage, caused problems for children, because they had to explain the change to people around them.On the other hand, such children tended to give higher priority to matters related to their real life, show little attachment to family surnames, and value their actual family relationships.