Regarding the June 22 AP article "One-third of women worldwide have been assaulted by partner": While I do not discount that domestic violence happens, "one-third" stretches the imagination.
If we walk down Aoyama-dori or go to Tokyo Disneyland and see couples being lovey-dovey, can we conclude that one-third of these relationships are destined to become so hateful that one partner will perpetrate violence and the other will be dealt it? That's scary.
If it's true, shouldn't the entire institution of marriage and the sweet imagery of the wedding day be questioned as a farce?
And should not marriage counseling be made mandatory and addressed in a pre-marriage legal document? Not sexy, but practical. For if either one or both partners dismiss the 33-percent probability of violence, they are pretty naive and perhaps could be blamed for abdicating their adult responsibility.
That's why I question the validity of the conclusions of the World Health Organization authors/researchers in the study.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.