Parents in Japan will no longer have complete freedom in choosing names for their children — this week the country introduced new rules for the pronunciation of kanji characters.
The Guardian writes about this.
The changes are aimed at stopping the use of kirakira names, which have become popular in recent years among parents seeking a creative approach to naming their children. Such names have caused difficulties for local authorities and sometimes ridicule from peers.
Although the amendments to the Family Registry Law do not prohibit the use of kanji characters (which are of Chinese origin), parents are now required to notify local authorities of the phonetic reading of a name to avoid unusual or contradictory pronunciations.
Only officially recognized readings of hieroglyphs are now allowed, as the government tries to end the confusion caused by bizarre names in schools, hospitals and other government institutions.
The discussion around kirakira names has been going on since the 1990s, when unusual readings of kanji began to appear.
The government calls the new requirements a step towards simplifying the digitalization of administrative procedures, although many consider it an attempt to curb the spread of bizarre and partly incomprehensible names.
Parents have been criticized for naming their children after famous characters or brands: Pikachu (from the Pokémon anime), Nike (Nike), Daya (diamond), Pooh (like Winnie the Pooh), and Kitty (like the character from Hello Kitty). Some names have caused scandals for their audacity, such as Ojisama (Prince) or Akuma (Devil).
Seiko Hashimoto, a former Olympic athlete and head of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, caused a stir when she named her sons Girishia (Greece) and Torino (Turin) after the years of the respective Olympics. She knew how to read the characters she chose, but others were left confused.
Parents defend their choice as an expression of individuality in a society where excessive pressure for conformity, especially in raising children, is the norm.
While most of the roughly 3,000 permitted characters have a few traditional readings, some have linguistic flexibility that allows for more elaborate variations. But officials complain that there are names that are simply impossible to read at first glance.
From now on, parents who choose a pronunciation that clearly deviates from the established one will be required to explain their choice in writing and, if necessary, offer an acceptable alternative.
Although media reports say only the most extreme examples will be rejected, the new pronunciation requirement is a rare change to Japanʼs koseki, a family register that records the names and birth dates of the head of the household, spouses and children.
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