July 19, 2025 — Tokyo, Japan (ScoopSignal Odd News) — In a move that redefines commitment issues, a married couple in Tokyo has taken to divorcing and remarrying every three years—just to take turns with each other’s family names.
The couple, both 32 and living in Hachioji, first wed in 2016 but quickly found themselves at odds over Japan’s law requiring married couples to share one surname. With neither wanting to give up their own family name, they landed on an unconventional compromise: every 36 months, they amicably divorce and remarry under the other’s surname. “This way, everyone gets equal time and we never get bored with the paperwork,” the wife explained to reporters.
Japanese law’s single-surname requirement, rooted in the Meiji era and still hotly debated, left the Hachioji couple in bureaucratic limbo. Their well-documented workaround sees them switching legal identities, dealing with endless documentation changes at work, the bank, and even the doctor’s office. “In important settings, I was reminded that my name was not my name,” the husband admitted.
Despite the paperwork—and occasional confusion among friends, who now just RSVP with both last names—the couple insists the arrangement makes anniversaries “very memorable,” if slightly chaotic during tax season.
In a twist fit for romantic comedy, their story echoes that of Japanese film director Kazuhiro Soda and his wife, who petitioned Japanese courts to let them keep separate surnames following a marriage abroad. So far, the Hachioji couple is happy to stick with their cycle—at least until lawmakers change the rules.
Sources: Mainichi • Unseen Japan • UNILAD • Oddity Central • The Daily Net • Upworthy • Instagram