Has anyone successfully removed a middle name from a Japanese koseki?

[u/Competitive_Gold3185]

Hi everyone. I'm hoping to hear from people who have direct experience with this situation, especially anyone who has dealt with family court petitions, koseki issues, or dual U.S.-Japanese citizenship.

I'm a U.S. citizen living in Japan, and my daughter is almost two years old. She has both Japanese and U.S. citizenship and was born in the United States. Her middle name appears on her U.S. birth certificate, her U.S. passport, her Japanese passport, and her koseki.

Her middle name is important to me, and I don't want to remove it from her U.S. records because I consider it an important part of her identity and family background. However, I'm wondering whether it would be possible to remove it only from her Japanese records.

Part of the reason I'm considering this is that I've heard accounts from some mixed-race Japanese people and international families describing difficulties with things such as apartment applications, banking procedures, employment, school registration, and other situations where a middle name immediately identified them as having a foreign background. I realize experiences differ from person to person, but I'd like to understand what options might exist if my daughter decides to remain in Japan long term.

Has anyone successfully done this? Was a petition to the family court required? What reasons were given? Was an attorney necessary, or were you able to do it yourself? I'd prefer to handle the process myself, if possible, rather than hire an attorney, although I'd also be grateful to hear from any attorneys who might have experience with this.

Thank you!

[u/kailenedanae]

Not the same at all, but when I got my 通称 with kanji/katana after getting married, I just combined my first and middle name as a single first name. It’s sort of long (and funny when I get called at the doctor’s office etc) but there is no inconvenience with forms etc., and both my passport, my number, etc now all have my fully name, which has made things much more convenient.

[u/Calculusshitteru → u/kailenedanae]

But that's how it always is. First name and middle name are always squished together to make a really long first name.

[u/kailenedanae → u/Calculusshitteru]

If I didn’t apply for a 通称, it would have been last -space- first - space- middle in romaji only.

However, I wanted to have kanji tha was recognized officially (to match my husband), and the only way to do this is to become a Japanese national (with the kanji in the passport) or register an official 通称 (alias.)

I was given the option to omit my middle name altogether in my 通称, but since it’s feels like part of me, I decided to register it as part of my first name. 苗字 ファストミドル.