Japan's main opposition on Monday vowed to give couples the option of keeping their surnames separate after marriage among other reform proposals ahead of the general election.
Yukio Edano, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said the party seeks to realize a society without discrimination as it announced a set of policies the party will implement if it gains power.
Other policies include introducing a law to protect the rights of sexual minorities, helping women subjected to domestic violence and a ban on discrimination based on gender, nationality and disability. The party also plans to review the country's immigration system.
The announcement of the policies comes as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election on Sept. 29 for picking Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's successor takes center stage.
"The LDP is dominated by adamant opposition (to such changes). Whoever becomes its president, it cannot realize them. We must accomplish the change of power," said Edano.
Japan is the only country in the world known for having a law forcing married couples to share a surname, according to the Justice Ministry. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has also recommended that Japan change the system.
Last week, the CDPJ released its first set of pledges including working on a supplementary budget totaling 30 trillion yen ($273 billion) for assisting those hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, the CDPJ and three other oppositions -- the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party and Reiwa Shinsengumi -- agreed on a set of joint pledges, including giving couples the option of keeping separate surnames after marriage, as they try to join forces toward the election.
The election will be held in the coming months as the House of Representatives members' terms expire on Oct. 21.
The CDPJ's pledges also included lowering the consumption tax rate, achieving a zero-carbon society without nuclear energy, raising the minimum wage and opposing an amendment of the Constitution.
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