IN FOCUS video director Youdai participated in “SATO 2531,” which won a Gold Award at Cannes Lions, one of the world’s three major advertising awards, Gold Awards in three categories at ONE SHOW, and the Grand Prix at CLIO. It also won the Yellow Pencil, equivalent to a Gold Award, at the D&AD Awards 2025, considered the world’s highest design and advertising award.
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About SATO 2531
The “#2531 Sato Problem” is an awareness campaign based on statistical simulations that predict that “by the year 2531, everyone in Japan will have the surname ‘Sato,'” based on the current state of Japanese surnames. Japan is the only country in the world where the law requires “married couples to have the same surname.” Currently, approximately 500,000 couples get married each year, and due to the system of married couples having the same surname, approximately 500,000 surnames disappear annually.
There used to be 130,000 different surnames, but if the current system continues, the number will gradually decrease and eventually converge into a single surname—such a hypothesis has emerged. The most common surname in Japan is “Sato,” with approximately 1.529% of the population bearing the surname as of 2023. As part of the “Think Name Project,” “Asuniwa” commissioned Professor Hiroshi Yoshida of the Graduate School of Economics and the Center for Research on Aging Society at Tohoku University to conduct an independent survey. Based on the growth rate of the Sato surname and demographic trends, an analysis was performed. The results of the simulation indicated that if the current system continues without the introduction of optional separate surnames for married couples, “by the year 2531, approximately 500 years from now, all Japanese people will have the surname Sato.”
Based on the results of this survey, the “SATO 2531” campaign was launched on April 1 (April Fool’s Day) as an awareness-raising initiative in collaboration with supporting companies and partners. “In 500 years, Japan may be overflowing with people named ‘Sato.'” By imagining such a future, we hope to encourage people to think about the option of separate surnames for married couples.
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Awards
【World’s Three Major Advertising Awards】
Cannes Lions
Gold: Creative Data Category (Cultural Engagement) / Creative Strategy Category (Data & Analytics)
Silver: PR Category (Research, Data & Analytics)
Bronz: PR Category (Single-Market Campaign) / Creative Strategy Category (Cultural Engagement)
Finalist: Creative Data Category (Data Storytelling / Social Behavior) / Creative Strategy Category (Collaboration / Not-for-Profit / Charity / Government) / PR Category (Public Affairs & Lobbying) / Glass: The Lion for Change Category (Initiatives) / SDGs Category (Reduced Inequalities)
https://www.lovethework.com/work-awards/results/cannes-lions/creative-data
ONE SHOW
Gold: Public Relations, Cultural Driver, and Creative Use of Data Categories
https://www.oneclub.org/awards/theoneshow/-adtitle/SATO+2531/2025/all/all
CLIO
Grand Prix: Creativity and Storytelling Categories
https://clios.com/winners-gallery/details/184893
【International】
D&AD 2025
Yellow Pencil: Integrated Category
https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2025/240779/sato-2531/
New York Festivals Advertising Awards 2025
BEST of SHOW: Purpose Category
Grand Prix: Collaborations & Partnerships Category / Purpose Category / Public Relations Category
https://www.nyfadvertising.com/Winners/List/
London International Awards
Silver: CREATIVE USE of DATA Category
https://2024.liaentries.com/winners/?id_entry=107357
Spikes Asia
Gold: Glass and PR (Research, Data & Analytics) Categories
Bronz: Creative Strategy Category
Finalist: PR (Not-for-profit / Charity / Government) and Creative Data Categories
https://www.lovethework.com/work-awards/entries/sato-2531-735839
ADFEST
Silver: PR Category
Bronz: Creative Strategy Category
Finalist: Sustainable Category
https://www.adfest.com/index.php/Home/Awards/winnersshowcase.html
ONE Asia
BEST of DISCIPLINE: CREATIVE USE of DATA and Public Relations Categories
SDGs Award: SDGs Category
https://www.oneclub.org/oneasia/showcase/2024/
MAD STARS
Silver: PR Category
https://www.madstars.org/winner/Winners.do
【Japan】
ACC
Gold: PR Category
Bronze: Branded Communication Category_C Category
https://www.acc-awards.com/festival/2024fes_result/detail.html?awards=ie&entryId=PR241803
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Comment from Director Youdai
“I’ve always been interested in the issue of marital surnames, and I participated in this project as a video director.
I would be happy if this project could lead to a future where it becomes commonplace for married couples to be able to choose their surname freely.
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CREDIT
Entrant Company
Dentsu Digital
Client
Asuniwa Association
Brand
Think Name Project
Advertising Agency
Dentsu Digital
Platinum
Production Company
Taiyo Kikaku
Country
Japan
Agency Producer
Rema Kato
Yuta Iwanami
Yoshiyuki Dobashi
Art Director
Shiho Kurihara
Coder
Yugo Ikeda
Copywriter
Kei Ishizuka
Creative Director
Kei Ishizuka
Shiho Kurihara
Creative Support
Hiroki Nakamura
Hisashi Tanaka
Shoji Taniguchi
Yasuharu Sasaki
Jayme Blasko
John Mescall
Paola Motka
Sachiko Nishihashi
Designer
Katsuto Tamagawa
Shotaro Maeda
Sunao Endo
Director
Youdai
Director of Photography
Hideyuki Hashimoto
Miho Tanno
Editor
Yusuke Otsuka
Film Producer
Shuhei Hosokawa
Lighting Designer
Yuki Maeshima
Professor
Hiroshi Yoshida
Web Director
Yuki Sato
Web Producer
Tomohiro Moriyama
Creative Agency
PARTY
Dentsu
Dentsu Creative
Direction
IN FOCUS
PR Consultant
Kakeru Nishiumi
Mai Sakai
Kana Sato
PR Director
Soichi Murayama
Researcher
Toko Okawa
Moe Kudo
Yu Sekizawa
Translator
Soichiro Nakamura
Adam Gothelf