Five women have sued Japan for its law which makes adoption of spouse’s last name mandatory.
The women say the law is unconstitutional and violates married couples' civil rights, and are demanding compensation.
"By losing your surname, you're being made light of, you're not respected; it's as if part of your self has vanished", one of the women Kaori Oguni, said on Thursday.
An 1896 law says spouses must adopt the same surname to legally register their marriage, the law does not specify which one, but in practice, 96 per cent of women take their husband's name, a reflection of Japan's male-dominated society.
Conservatives say allowing couples to choose whether they share the same surname or not could damage family ties and threaten society.
"Names are the best way to bind families", Masaomi Takanori, a constitutional scholar, told newsmen.
"Allowing different surnames risks destroying social stability, the maintenance of public order and the basis for social welfare’’, Masaomi said.
Others say it is time for a change.
"The world is more oriented towards individuals now", said Shunsuke Serizawa, a social commentator on gender and family roles
"Separate surnames are a natural extension."
Many working women face the hassle of juggling two names - their maiden name for professional use and their legal, married name, required on official documents.
Some couples opt not to register their marriage so they can keep separate names, an option taken by opposition Social Democratic Party lawmaker Mizuho Fukushima and her partner.
Doing so, however, creates legal headaches, including complications over parental and inheritance rights, experts said.
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