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The original was posted on /r/japanlife by /u/newfakestarrysky on 2023-08-10 02:26:54.
tl;dr: Forced name reading doesn't match passport spelling? You may be out of luck.
Starting from 2024, Japanese citizens will be required to register an official syllabary reading (furigana) to their family registry, e.g. 光 = ヒカル = Hikaru.
The reading registry will supposedly be mandatory and must be done within one year of the law coming into effect. In fact, city halls are already asking current registry changes to include furigana on any registry updates, as I recently found out.
The problem is that Japan also doesn't allow for alphabet-based passport name changes unless the actual kanji itself changes. Why? Because "you'll become a different person." Is it politically motivated conservatism in a country where gender identity is only just now being "contemplated"? Is it due to outdated systems that can't handle simple name updates? Is it severe brain damage all the way to the top? The possibilities are endless!
So, if you have a passport registered as "Hikaru" but decide to register your reading as "Hikari" on the registry for personal reasons, it creates a huge catch 22 in their plans to slowly incorporate official readings into everything, as your passport name needs to match the name on your registry.
Being the curious little goblin that I am, I called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to gather insight into their plans to tackle this issue and received the following answers:
Answer 1: "Who knows."
Answer 2: "I guess they can't travel easily anymore."
Answer 3: "They should consider changing everything else in their life to match their passport."
Japan frequently raises the bar for bureaucratic lunacy. Plenty of other countries allow for name changes on passports if presented proof of the name being registered elsewhere, so imagine my surprise when the government's response for such an extremely likely hypothetical is nothing more than ¯_(ツ)_/¯.
So, my question for is: are there any governments as utterly incompetent than my own? In a country of extreme patriotic pride, are they really going to prioritize the Latin alphabet over their own writing system?
It's hard to imagine why they won't let people change their Latin alphabet readings by simply applying for a new passport and paying the fee.