United States former president Barack Obama for the first time opened up about his daughter Malia's decision to drop her last name professionally.&nbsp;

Malia has made her directorial debut with the short film The Heart&nbsp;which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January.

Sharing his reaction to Malia's&nbsp;decision, Obama said that he warned her that even if she dropped her surname, it would not hide her identity as she would remain connected with her parents.&nbsp;

“Her first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals and she didn’t use Obama as a director on the credits,” said Obama, while speaking in Tuesday’s episode of the “Pivot” podcast. “I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are," he added.

<h2>Malia wanted no family connection in her film 'The Heart': Obama</h2>

The former president said that his daughter wanted the audience to watch the film "The Heart" without bringing to mind the connection it had with the Obama family.&nbsp;

“And she’s all like, ‘You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association,'” said the 63-year-old Obama.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-elections-did-obama-re-election-lead-to-rise-of-trump-remembering-obama-vs-romney-in-2012-772270">US elections: Did Obama re-election lead to rise of Trump? Remembering Obama vs Romney in 2012</a>

Obama further said that both his daughters are not interested in using the status of their parents to get ahead in life. “I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage&nbsp;that,” he added.

The author of “A Promised Land”&nbsp;said that the daughters don't want their parents to give them a leg up in their careers.

“The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all. I mean they’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it," Obama said.

Watch:&nbsp;US Election 2024: A Vote For Trump Is A Vote Against Women Says Michelle Obama

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Earlier, co-host of the “View” Whoopi Goldberg, had also defended Malia's decision to make her directorial debut as "Malia Ann" after she was criticised for her decision.

“Apparently some folks online are criticising her for it, claiming everyone knows she’s an Obama, so it’s pointless to hide it. If she knows she’s an Obama, why do you care? Why do you care what she calls herself? If she wanted to call herself Jeanette MacDonald, she has the right to! If I can be Whoopi Goldberg, she can be whoever the hell she wants to be!,” Goldberg said.

(With inputs from agencies)

United States former president Barack Obama for the first time opened up about his daughter Malia's decision to drop her last name professionally. Malia has made her directorial debut with the short film The Heart which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January.

United States former president Barack Obama for the first time opened up about his daughter Malia's decision to drop her last name professionally. Malia has made her directorial debut with the short film The Heart which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January. Sharing his reaction to Malia's decision, Obama said that he warned her that even if she dropped her surname, it would not hide her identity as she would remain connected with her parents. “Her first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals and she didn’t use Obama as a director on the credits,” said Obama, while speaking in Tuesday’s episode of the “Pivot” podcast. “I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are," he added. Malia wanted no family connection in her film 'The Heart': Obama The former president said that his daughter wanted the audience to watch the film "The Heart" without bringing to mind the connection it had with the Obama family. “And she’s all like, ‘You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association,'” said the 63-year-old Obama. Also Read: US elections: Did Obama re-election lead to rise of Trump? Remembering Obama vs Romney in 2012 Obama further said that both his daughters are not interested in using the status of their parents to get ahead in life. “I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that,” he added. The author of “A Promised Land” said that the daughters don't want their parents to give them a leg up in their careers. “The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all. I mean they’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it," Obama said. Watch: US Election 2024: A Vote For Trump Is A Vote Against Women Says Michelle Obama Earlier, co-host of the “View” Whoopi Goldberg, had also defended Malia's decision to make her directorial debut as "Malia Ann" after she was criticised for her decision. “Apparently some folks online are criticising her for it, claiming everyone knows she’s an Obama, so it’s pointless to hide it. If she knows she’s an Obama, why do you care? Why do you care what she calls herself? If she wanted to call herself Jeanette MacDonald, she has the right to! If I can be Whoopi Goldberg, she can be whoever the hell she wants to be!,” Goldberg said. (With inputs from agencies)

Obama speaks up on daughter's decision to drop her last name, says 'they know who you are'

People in Japan could all have the same surname in about 500 years, a study has suggested. Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor of economy at Tohoku University, led the study as part of a campaign to update the civil code that has been in place since the 1800s.

People in Japan could all have the same surname in about 500 years, a study has suggested. Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor of economy at Tohoku University, led the study as part of a campaign to update the civil code that has been in place since the 1800s. The research revealed that the entire Japanese population might go by the last name of Sato-san by 2531 unless married couples are permitted to use separate surnames. For now, Japanese couples must have the same family name. The study, based on several assumptions, aimed to draw attention to the impact the present system has on Japanese society. "If everyone becomes Sato, we may have to be addressed by our first names or by numbers," the professor said, according to the Japanese publication Mainichi. "I don't think that would be a good world to live in." Sato is the most common surname in Japan at the moment. It accounts for 1.5 per cent of the 125.1 million-strong population. The second is Suzuki. ALSO READ | China's services sector shows accelerated growth in March, Caixin PMI reveals Since the study was published on April 1, some people think it's a prank. However, Yoshida wants people to take the matter seriously. According to him, if everyone had the same surname, it would be difficult to find another way to differentiate between people. The professor called it, "not only inconvenient but also [undermining] individual dignity." Apart from practical difficulties, losing different surnames would cause a loss of cultural, regional, and family heritage. The proportion of Satos increased 1.0083 times between 2022 and 2023. Around half of the Japanese population would have that name in 2446 if Satos increased at this rate, reaching 100 per cent in 2531. In Japan, the woman has to change her last name in 95 per cent of marriages. However, it is not specific in the current laws. But more and more people are now in support of married couples using separate surnames. Japan does not allow couples to have separate last names, becoming the only country in the world that requires spouses to use the same family name. However, the government has allowed maiden names to appear alongside married names on passports, driving licences and residence certificates. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has given the main argument against the issue. They say changing the law would undermine family unity and could cause confusion among children. (With inputs from agencies)

Entire population of Japan to have same surname by 2531, study suggests

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