‘True Mothers’: An intimate look at two sides of adoption
Naomi Kawase’s drama tackles child adoption and teenage pregnancy with seriousness and compassion, while drawing a stand-out performance from Aju Makita.
In ‘True Mothers,’ Naomi Kawase examines what makes a family
Naomi Kawase draws on personal experience in her new film, an intimate look at adoption that blurs the line between documentary and fiction.
Here’s what you need to know before getting a pet in Japan
If time spent at home during COVID-19 made you want to get your own furry friend, here are some points to consider before committing to a new pet.
Japan's adoption rules changed to allow older kids' ties to biological parents to be severed
The program is aimed at providing a stable environment for children who cannot be raised by their biological parents because of economic difficulties or abuse.
The kids aren't all right: Japan struggles to protect its most vulnerable children at group homes
Miwa Moriya was 6 when social workers told her she was going to a Christmas party but instead moved her into a group home for about 60 children in a small city in western Japan. The "party" turned into more than eight years of living ...
Unsuccessful with IVF, Japanese actress Jun Sena's quest for a child succeeds via adoption
Like the Japanese proverb "fall seven times and stand up eight," Jun Sena made seven failed attempts to conceive through in vitro fertilization before she turned the odds of having a child in her favor. No, she was not able to get pregnant. But she ...
Japanese lawmakers enact law on court jurisdiction for international divorces
The Diet enacts a revised law stipulating Japanese court jurisdiction over international divorce, in a move expected to speed up lengthy proceedings.
Japan's shelters provide little comfort to abused children
Japan’s shelters for neglected children are known for their suffocating discipline, but no one has come up with a good way to reform them in the past 70 years.
Online agency seeks to streamline adoption in Japan
From a baby expected to be born in October in Osaka Prefecture to one in Tokyo with a due date in July, information of upcoming childbirths is listed on a website run by an Osaka-based nonprofit adoption agency urging prospective parents-to-be to register online. Named ...
Osaka the first city in Japan to certify same-sex couple as foster parents
Osaka becomes the first city in the nation to officially let a gay couple take on the role of foster parents.
Chiba agency pair arrested for arranging baby's adoption for profit
The first such arrests in Japan come as the central and local governments are introducing stricter rules to prevent entities from exploiting the adoption system.
Confronted with hard questions about why they felt the need to adopt, the O'Briens chose to raise Sam, a child with Down syndrome.
