Why Japan is cracking down on baby names like ‘Pikachu’ and ‘Kitty'
FILE - A mother caresses the foot of her newborn baby. (Photo by Tina Stallard/Getty Images)
Japan has introduced new rules for parents to avoid the use of "interesting" names given to their children, according to multiple reports.
Kirakira names
Kirakira, which means shiny or glittery, names have become popular among parents that want to give their children’s names some pizazz, according to The Guardian.
Following revisions to the Family Register Act on Monday, the changes enforce restricting the pronunciation of some kanji characters.
The backstory:
Kanji is a system of Japanese writing that uses Chinese characters.
Parents in Japan will now be required to inform local authorities of the phonetic reading of their child’s name in an attempt to get rid of kirakira names.
Examples of kirakira names include Pikachu (from "Pokémon") Naiki (like the brand Nike), Kitty (Kitty Chan) and Pū (like Winnie-the-Pooh), The Guardian reported.
Why is Japan regulating baby names?
The reason behind the change is due in part to avoid "administrative headaches" and "derision from classmates," The Guardian said.
Local perspective:
Parents will be asked why they chose the pronunciation of their baby's names if they are not written in the conventional way. If the pronunciation is deemed unacceptable, the parents will be asked to come up with an alternative name.
Other countries where the government regulates baby names
Other countries already have name bans in place.
Dig deeper:
New Zealand announced its list of banned baby names for 2024 in March 2025. Out of the 60,000 babies born in New Zealand last year, 71 names were rejected, according to People magazine.
The No. 1 name that was rejected was King. Other names that were rejected were Prince, Princess, and Sativa.
Other countries that keep track of baby names include Germany, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Morocco and Malaysia, according to a Washington Post report.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from reporting by The Guardian, Newsweek and previous reporting by the Washington Post. This story was reported from Los Angeles.