Overview

• The revised Family Register Act, effective May 26, mandates standard kanji readings for all children’s names in Japan’s national family registry.
• Parents of newborns must register phonetic pronunciations, with justifications required for readings that deviate from widely accepted norms.
• Local legal affairs bureaus can reject unconventional pronunciations, recommending more traditional alternatives.
• All households will receive mail notifications to confirm phonetics, with a one-year window to request corrections.
• The regulations target kirakira names such as Pikachu and Nike which have posed challenges for public institutions.