Everyone in Japan might be called Sato by 2531

Japan may become The Nation of Satos. Unless the government permits married couples to separate their surnames, then it is likely that in 500 years the entire population will have the surname Sato, according to The Guardian.

A studyled by Professor Hiroshi Yoshida from Tohoku University’s Research Center for Aged Economy and Society highlighted that Sato is currently the most common name in Japan, according to The Mainichi, it accounts for 1.5% of the total population. Through further calculations, he found that the commonality of the name increased 1.0083 times from 2022 to 2023. Assuming that this rate remains constant, 50% will share the name by the year 2446 and the entire population will share the same name by 2531.

“If everyone becomes Sato, we may have to be addressed by our first names or by numbers. I don’t think we can call that a good world to live in.”Yoshida explained to The Mainichi.

The hope for diverse surnames lies within the surname separation law. In Japan, couples who are to be married are required to choose which of their surnames they would like to share and keep. If this law were to be removed, a couple could choose not to share a surname and proceed with different surnames. In this case, the diversity of surnames present in Japan would rise.

However, members of the Japanese population are not all for the separation of surnames. In a survey conducted within the study, 39.3% of single people (aged 20-59) explained that if given the choice, they would still share their spouse’s surname. With that in mind, Professor Yoshida concluded that if the law were to change, then by 2531 only 7.96% of the population will have the surname Sato.