When I saw The New York Times article "In Japan, more women fight to use their own names" (Oct. 24), I sent it to my niece Haruko. Haruko, married with a child, works for a Japanese government agency but seems to be doing fine retaining her "former surname," as she calls it. She signs documents with foreign countries, and has already written a book for her employer, using the same name.
Her response was: "As someone using her former surname, the article strikes me as going a bit too far; it exaggerates," adding, "Simple options will do."
The Times article, written by Motoko Rich, starts portentously: "Japan's Constitution promises gender equality, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he wants a society where all women can 'shine.' But many Japanese women say that is hard to do when they cannot even use their own surnames."