National / Crime & Legal Nov 26, 2021
Japan speeds up fresh support for households affected by child abuse
The program will send helpers to households with signs of child abuse to do housework and support child-rearing.
National Aug 4, 2021
A hunger strike reignites conversations about parental rights in Japan
by Tomohiro Osaki
Detractors of the country's system of sole parental authority say it promotes child "abductions," while supporters say change could exacerbate domestic abuse.
National Jul 31, 2021
EU envoys back Frenchman on hunger strike over Japan child custody
Japan, unlike most countries, does not recognize joint custody and children often lose contact with the noncustodial parent.
National Jul 24, 2021
Suga meets with France's Macron as pair affirm security cooperation
The two leaders strengthen bilateral security cooperation as part of efforts to realize a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" and touched on the issue of parental abduction in Japan.
National Jul 20, 2021
Children stateless in Japan due to gaps in knowledge about process, survey finds
With a surge in the number of foreign students and workers in Japan, the number of stateless children has been on the rise in recent years.
National Jul 12, 2021
French father goes on hunger strike for kids 'abducted' by Japanese wife
The man, who says his children were abducted by their Japanese mother, hopes his protest in Tokyo will bring international attention to his fight to be reunited with his family.
National Apr 1, 2021
Tokyo's Adachi Ward responds to controversy by certifying LGBT families
by Ami Takahashi
The initiative in the ward is rare in a nation that does not legally recognize marriage between members of the LGBT community.
National | FOCUS Nov 22, 2020
Suga’s remark sparks hope for letting married couples use different surnames
When Suga was asked about his past call for creating the option, he said, "As a politician, I bear a responsibility as I have said such things."
National / Crime & Legal Jan 17, 2020
In Japan, foreign parents lead charge against loss of child custody
by Chang-ran Kim
A growing number of foreign nationals in Japan are speaking out against what they say is a little-known but entrenched system that allows one parent in a broken relationship to take away children and block the other from visiting them. The issue of what domestic ...
National / Crime & Legal Jan 15, 2020
Australian father gets suspended term for trespassing at in-law's Tokyo home
by Magdalena Osumi
A Tokyo-based Australian journalist and father was given a suspended prison term of six months by the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday for illegally trespassing into a building complex where his in-laws live in Tokyo's Suginami Ward in October, in what the journalist said ...
National / Politics Jun 4, 2019
Opposition parties submit bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Japan
Major opposition parties have submitted a bill that would permit same-sex marriage, a move that comes weeks after Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalize gay marriage. The bill, submitted Monday, is unlikely to go far in the Diet, where the ruling Liberal ...
National / Crime & Legal Feb 20, 2019
Japan's Supreme Court rejects man's damages claim against ex-wife's partner over adultery
The Supreme Court Tuesday rejected a damages claim brought by a man in his 40s against his former spouse's then-lover, infidelity with whom led, he claimed, to he and his wife's divorce. At the top court's Third Petty Bench, presiding Judge Yuko Miyazaki said that ...