This weekend the Cabinet Office released the results of a survey showing that “fewer people” supported the idea of allowing married couples to use separate names. This issue has been simmering for at least a decade and every time a change has been proposed to the Civil Code allowing separate names, or bessei, it’s been shot down by lawmakers and pundits who say it will undermine the integrity of the family. From my reading of the subject, it’s clear that the problem is in the way the issue is framed. It seems a good portion of the public believes that the proposed changes would mandate separate names, when, of course, it’s completely different. It would simply let couples decide for themselves whether or not they want to take the same name. Here is an essay I wrote in 2004, when the change seemed more likely.
(Update below)
The so-called culture wars that have reignited in the United States over the legitimacy of gay marriages may influence this year’s presidential election despite a general feeling that there are more important issues. The problem with gay marriage as a social issue is that both sides work against their own interests by politicizing it. Conservatives who push for a constitutional amendment to ban it come across as anti-democratic and fanatical, while homosexual couples who flock to San Francisco to get legally hitched reinforce the idea of marriage as a state-approved arrangement. Continue reading
In a year during which my consumption of live music declined considerably I found myself more attuned to the peculiar decisions that musicians make on their recordings. Logistics were the main reason for my not attending as many shows as I used to, but there was the aging thing, too. Though I still appreciate a good performance, my capacity for distraction has grown, especially when trying to get into an act I may not be that familiar with—and I don’t even own a smart phone! As I mentioned in this space last year, much of my listening has transferred over to the space between my ears rather than outside of them. During my sunset-evening walks through the fields of Inzai I tend to focus more on my iPod, and at least two of the albums on the following list rose considerably in my estimation thanks to this ambulatory auditing mode and probably wouldn’t have made as much of an impression if I had only listened to them on speakers in my office, which comes with its own distractions. As far as my number one pick goes, much of the enthusiasm I developed for the album was second-hand. When I received the advance copy in the mail, Masako snatched it up immediately, having been a stone P!nk fan ever since Missundaztood, and during her nightly teeth-brushing ritual she’d be hopping up and down in front of the mirror, earbuds secured for the ride, yelling out all the lyrics she could understand. (Based on the vociferousness of the delivery, her favorite couplet was “I want to hug you/I want to wrap my hands around your neck,” which I’d like to think explains the resilience of our marriage) I liked the album just fine, but M’s enthusiasm was contagious if only because she’s normally rather blase about this sort of Western pop music. It’s P!nk’s fundamentally spunky attitude that appeals to her sense of independence, and while I think P!nk is much more intelligent than she’s given credit for, that appeal is almost anti-intellectual. Rebelliousness can be a con, especially when it comes to entertainment, but M’s reaction to the record made me listen more carefully to the choices I mentioned above because I knew how hard-won M’s own personal independence has been. Under such scrutiny, the record just became irresistible. 
Koi No Yokan
philipbrasor.com 