By 2531 everyone in Japan will be named Sato
Japanese demographics professor Hiroshi Yoshida has warned that by 2531 everyone in Japan will have the last name 'Sato'.
Why? Because a) Sato is the most common last name in Japan, and b) Japanese law requires that married couples use the same last name. Because Japanese women almost always take their husband's name, this means that the surname 'Sato' is slowly crowding out all other names.
From the Guardian:
The Think Name Project is promoting Professor Yoshida's research as a way to gain support for ending Japan's law requiring couples to have the same surname.
More info: spoon-tamago.com/
Why? Because a) Sato is the most common last name in Japan, and b) Japanese law requires that married couples use the same last name. Because Japanese women almost always take their husband's name, this means that the surname 'Sato' is slowly crowding out all other names.
From the Guardian:
According to Yoshida’s calculations, the proportion of Japanese named Sato increased 1.0083 times from 2022 to 2023. Assuming the rate remains constant and there is no change to the law on surnames, around half of the Japanese population will have that name in 2446, rising to 100% in 2531.
The Think Name Project is promoting Professor Yoshida's research as a way to gain support for ending Japan's law requiring couples to have the same surname.
More info: spoon-tamago.com/
Comments
Japan has a very low fertility rate. Given that the population is projected to drop from 124 million to less than 50 million by 2120 (https://www.statista.com/statistics/607427/japan-forecast-total-population/), there may be no Japanese left by 2531.
Posted by ges on 04/04/24 at 06:08 PM
I'm not sure. The same law was in place for a long time in the Netherlands - isn't any more, but was - and we're not all called De Vries. One should trust statistics, but one should not always trust extrapolations from those statistics.
Posted by Richard Bos on 04/07/24 at 10:55 AM
The year is 2531. Robots roam the wasteland in search for irradiated material, which they will use for energy. Suddently, a form in a loincloth shoots a rock from a distance. The robots look. It's Satoshi Sato, the last fertile Japanese.
Great sci-fi potential here, especially with Mr. Sato's quest for female companionship.
Great sci-fi potential here, especially with Mr. Sato's quest for female companionship.
Posted by Yudith on 04/10/24 at 09:37 AM
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Category: Odd Names | Predictions | Science | Asia