A revised law against domestic violence is being prepared that would lead to injunctions against former spouses who continue their abuse, Diet sources said Monday.
The revision would also offer greater protection for victims by requiring violent spouses to stay away from home for up to two months, instead of the current two weeks, they said.
The bill will be submitted to the Diet by a group of lawmakers from various political parties, they said.
Under current law, courts can order perpetrators of domestic violence to stay away from their spouses for up to six months and to leave their houses for two weeks.
But these orders do not prevent perpetrators from taking their kids out of schools or having contact with former spouses.
The two-week limit has also been criticized for being too short, given the time it takes for a victim to move to a new location. These shortcomings prompted lawmakers to consider revising the law.
Although there had also been calls for relatives and supporters of victims of domestic violence to be protected by the law, the lawmakers decided to forgo this in their revisions.