Parents in Japan will no longer have free rein over the names they give their children, after the introduction this week of new rules on the pronunciation of kanji characters.
The change is designed to halt the use of kirakira (shiny or glittery) names that have proliferated among parents hoping to add a creative flourish to their children’s names — creating administrative headaches for local authorities and, in some cases, inviting derision from classmates.
While the revisions to the family registry act do not ban kanji — Chinese-based characters in written Japanese — parents are required to inform local authorities of their phonetic reading, in an attempt to banish unusual or controversial pronunciations.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Now, only officially recognized renderings of kanji characters will be permitted, as the government seeks to end the confusion outlandish names can cause in schools, hospitals and other public services.
The debate over kirakira names has been raging since the 1990s, prompted by the rise in monikers based on unorthodox readings of kanji.
The government has described the emphasis on standard pronunciations as a way of simplifying the digitization of administrative procedures, but it is also being seen as an attempt to slow the spread of quirky — and to many, unfathomable — given names.
Parents have been criticized for naming their children after famous characters or brands: Pikachu, of Pokemon fame, Naiki (Nike), Daiya (Diamond), Pu (as in Winnie-the-Pooh) and Kitty, after the fictional feline Kitty Chan. Others have made headlines for their supposed impudence — Ojisama (Prince) and Akuma (Devil).
Seiko Hashimoto, a former Olympic speed skater and track cyclist who later headed the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, caused a stir when she named her sons Girishia (Greece) and Torino (Turin), because they were born the year the summer and winter Olympics were held in those locations. Having selected the kanji herself, Hashimoto knew how to pronounce them, but others would have been left scratching their heads.
Parents have defended their choices as a show of individual flair in a society where the pressure to conform can be overwhelming, particularly when it comes to raising children.
While most of the 3,000 or so kanji permitted by the revised law have multiple conventional readings, some characters have the linguistic flexibility to accommodate more bizarre phonetics. Shock factor aside, officials have complained that — at first sight — many are simply unpronounceable.
Now, parents who have selected pronunciations that clearly deviate from convention will be asked to explain their choice of name in writing and, if necessary, come up with an acceptable alternative.
While media reports suggest only the most egregious examples will be rejected, the phonetic requirement is a rare change to Japan’s family register, or koseki — a legal record that lists the names and dates of birth of the head of the household, their spouse and their children.
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