On the 16th December, Japan’s Supreme Court announced its verdict on the constitutionality of the law banning spouses from carrying separate last names: The court ruled that the band is indeed constitutional. However, as the current Chief Justice Itsurō Terada, cautioned, this issue will also need to be deliberated by the National Diet. Hence, the debate over this controversial naming prohibition will in all likelihood continue for some time to come.
Find additional information in Japanese here.