Concerned mother M writes: "In a situation where my husband doesn't give me any money for food or to look after our child, yet we still live together and pay 50/50 for our apartment, can I ask a lawyer to force him to pay, or in Japan can I only demand money after divorce?
"Do I have to pay 50/50 rent fee with him? He makes ¥700,000 a month and I make ¥200,000. How can I make him pay for me and our child?"
No married couple is without its problems, the vast majority of which remain private matters between husband and wife — and perhaps their closest confidants — unless matters come to a head and one or both partners are considering divorce.