Changing Divorce Law?
02/15/17 14:06
Lawmakers Trying to Change Japan’s Divorce Laws Involving Children
By Joe Renzi
The other day, an article titled, “New Bill Seeks to Promote Parent-Child Interaction Following Divorce” ran in the The Japan Times. I think it is an interesting article that I’d like to share with the other members of the Family In Japan class. This article is perfectly timed to what we will be discussing next week – “how to get divorced.”
This article is an example of the “contested and shifting social norms surrounding parents and children after divorce” (Alexy, unpublished. “Constructing Mutuality.” From her, Divorce and the Romance of Independence in Contemporary Japan, p 30.). Currently, joint custody is not permitted in Japan. Now, lawmakers in Japan are introducing bills to the Diet on June 18th which will:
• require parents who are getting a divorce to write a formal, legal document stating the visitation details and child-cost agreements.
• stipulate that parents are to remain a part of the child’s life with periodic visits.
• ask the state to consider a joint parental custody system.
The act of obtaining a mutual divorce in Japan does not involve a lot of legal proceeding and services, and so is pretty easy. A couple simply agrees to the terms, signs/stamps the paper, and files the document with the city. Short-term, it will be interesting to watch the Diet’s ruling in June. Looking ahead, the impact of this bill (if passed) on Japanese divorces could likely be the source of an interesting, academic study.
Citation:
Jiji, Kyodo. "New bill seeks to promote parent-child interaction following divorce." The Japan Times. February 06, 2017. Accessed February 08, 2017. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/02/06/national/new-bill-seeks-promote-parent-child-interaction-following-divorce/#.WJ0VM_krK1s
By Joe Renzi
The other day, an article titled, “New Bill Seeks to Promote Parent-Child Interaction Following Divorce” ran in the The Japan Times. I think it is an interesting article that I’d like to share with the other members of the Family In Japan class. This article is perfectly timed to what we will be discussing next week – “how to get divorced.”
This article is an example of the “contested and shifting social norms surrounding parents and children after divorce” (Alexy, unpublished. “Constructing Mutuality.” From her, Divorce and the Romance of Independence in Contemporary Japan, p 30.). Currently, joint custody is not permitted in Japan. Now, lawmakers in Japan are introducing bills to the Diet on June 18th which will:
• require parents who are getting a divorce to write a formal, legal document stating the visitation details and child-cost agreements.
• stipulate that parents are to remain a part of the child’s life with periodic visits.
• ask the state to consider a joint parental custody system.
The act of obtaining a mutual divorce in Japan does not involve a lot of legal proceeding and services, and so is pretty easy. A couple simply agrees to the terms, signs/stamps the paper, and files the document with the city. Short-term, it will be interesting to watch the Diet’s ruling in June. Looking ahead, the impact of this bill (if passed) on Japanese divorces could likely be the source of an interesting, academic study.
Citation:
Jiji, Kyodo. "New bill seeks to promote parent-child interaction following divorce." The Japan Times. February 06, 2017. Accessed February 08, 2017. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/02/06/national/new-bill-seeks-promote-parent-child-interaction-following-divorce/#.WJ0VM_krK1s