What s in a name Japan bans flashy baby names like Pikachu and Nike

Japan has imposed rules to curb how parents choose to pronounce their children’s names, targeting a trend known as kira-kira – the Japanese onomatopoeia for “shiny” or “sparkly” – names.

Kira-kira refers to names that use kanji, or Chinese characters, but are read in ways that make the names unusual, contradictory or unrelated to the words’ meanings. This can include giving traditional names a misleading or foreign-sounding twist.

For example, politician and former Olympian Seiko Hashimoto named her sons Girisha (Greece) and Torino (Turin) – after the locations of the Olympic Games held in the years of their births.

Kira-kira names – such as Pikachu and Naiki (Nike) – have been criticised for causing confusion in schools, hospitals and public services, or in some cases, embarrassment for the child.

The new rules, imposed on May 26, come under a revised law that requires all names in Japan’s national family registry to include phonetic readings, local media reported this week.

Kanji often have multiple readings, giving parents some flexibility in choosing how to write their children’s names. But only widely accepted readings will now be allowed under the legislation.

As a result, parents will no longer be able to give their children names with readings unrelated to the kanji meaning or standard pronunciation, Kyodo News reported.

But non-standard readings based on established usage are allowed.

Residents across Japan will receive notifications by mail to confirm the phonetic readings of the names in their households, according to NTV News. Those who require corrections may submit a request within a year of receiving the notification.

Parents of newborns may also be asked to explain the pronunciation of their children’s names, though cases deemed unclear may be referred to legal affairs bureaus, Kyodo said.

Other countries have also imposed laws to prevent parents from