The central government has decided to let ministry staff use their pre-marriage family names for work that involves contacting people outside the office, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Friday.
In 2001, the central government decided to let married civil servants use their pre-marriage names internally, such as on documents circulated within the bureaucracy.
In Japan, married couples are legally obliged to use one family name. In most cases, women lose their pre-marriage names. Friday's decision is intended to provide more flexibility in name use.