The president of a major software firm and three others sued the central government on Tuesday seeking a change to the Family Register Law that would give them the right to use their premarital surnames.

Among the plaintiffs is Yoshihisa Aono, 46, the president of Cybozu Inc. Aono legally took his wife's surname — Nishihata — upon marriage, but he uses his pre-marriage name for business purposes. The other three plaintiffs, who declined to be named, are a woman in her 20s, and a common-law couple.

The four filed the suit with the Tokyo District Court, seeking ¥2.2 million in compensation for "psychological suffering."