Tag - parenthood

 
 

PARENTHOOD

The Justice Ministry in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 1, 2024
Japan puts new legitimacy presumption rules into effect
The new Civil Code will allow mothers and children to be able to file for a denial of legitimacy.
Demand for infertility treatment is high in Japan, where the number of live births fell for eight straight years to another record low last year.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 30, 2024
Fertility startups in Japan step in as treatment demand soars
In Japan, shortages of treatment options plague patients as the country grapples with one of the world’s lowest birthrates.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 15, 2024
Ai Fukuhara reaches custody settlement after abduction accusation
Although the physical custody of their son as well as their daughter will be with her ex-husband, the couple will continue to have joint custody over them.
Shi Pong Hsu, 75, makes coffee in a Singapore coffee shop. The city-state's government projects that almost a quarter of its population will be 65 or over by 2030.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2024
Singapore is bracing for a super-aging society
Japan and South Korea may be the poster children for low birthrates, but Singapore is confronting its own decline. Its solution? Bonuses for nurses.
A childhood snapshot of Shohei Ohtani and his mother, Kayoko, posted on MLB’s account on social media website X.
BASEBALL
Mar 7, 2024
'Sporting geniuses are made, not born': How to be an all-star sports parent
If you want your child to be a top 1% athlete like Shohei Ohtani, a good place to start is to take a look at what his parents did.
Beyond factors such as the "motherhood penalty," Japanese women struggle to advance in their careers due to the structure of the workforce, including the two-tiered clerical versus managerial track.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 6, 2024
Why is it taking so long to break the glass ceiling?
Japan isn't unique in having a thick glass ceiling, but some factors don't apply to other countries, like the U.S., where many more managers are women.
An employee organizes baby supplies at a store in Siheung, South Korea, on Tuesday. A lack of babies is speeding up the aging of South Korean society, generating concerns about the growing fiscal burden of public pensions and healthcare.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 28, 2024
South Korea keeps shattering its own record for lowest fertility rate
The number of babies expected per woman in a lifetime fell to 0.72 last year from 0.78 in 2022.
The government plans to establish a system that allows any child to enroll in day care establishments regardless of whether their parents work or not.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2024
Japan's Cabinet OKs bill on measures to tackle falling birthrate
The bill includes plans to expand child benefits and establish a system allowing any child to enroll in day care establishments.
Under a proposed joint custody system, if parents cannot reach an agreement, a family court would make a decision based on the interests of the child and family relations.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2024
Government panel proposes allowing joint child custody
Based on the report from the Legislative Council, the government plans to submit a related bill during the ongoing ordinary session of parliament.
Stella Belia (right), a member of the Rainbow Families of Greece, an organization which focuses on LGBTQ parents, poses for a portrait with her son, Yannis, in Athens, on Jan. 30. Greek lawmakers are set approve a historic bill legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption this week, having previously been condemned for anti-gay discrimination by the European Court of Human Rights in 2013, after gay couples were excluded from a prior civil unions law in 2008.
WORLD / Society
Feb 14, 2024
No longer invisible, Greek same-sex couples await landmark law
The issue is a strong taboo for a large part of Greek society — and for the powerful Orthodox Church of Greece.
Aeon is aiming to encourage male workers to take child care leave. While almost all of its female employees currently take child care leave when they have a child, the rate for male employees is only 15%.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2024
Aeon employees to receive 100% of income during child care leave
The retailer aims to gradually roll out the program from March to some 150 group companies.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2024
Government to submit bill allowing joint custody after divorce
The draft outline calls for a new provision obliging both parents to respect each other, and for divorce negotiations to determine parental authority.
Erin Lim, CEO of baby products company Konny, in front of her company's new office in Seoul. Early starts and late finishes to workdays are routine in South Korea, a country notorious for its hard-driving corporate culture, but Erin Lim knew she wanted to do things differently at her business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 28, 2023
South Korean mother's office-free firm sparks hope amid birthrate woes
South Korea has some of the world's lowest birth rates, and despite government incentives many women choose not to become mothers.
Local media in China exposed a secretive surrogacy service that may be helping to deliver more than 300 babies a year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 27, 2023
Chinese media expose prompts probe into illegal baby surrogacy
Despite Beijing’s repeated crackdowns and an outright ban, underground surrogacy services continue to thrive in China.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 25, 2023
Japan to open nursery places to all children by fiscal 2025
At the moment, typically only children from families where both the parents are working are admitted to day care.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 22, 2023
Japan to expand subsidized college tuition for large families
Free college tuition will be offered to at least one child in a family with three or more children, regardless of its income.
Members of the family law subcommittee of the Legislative Council discuss the issue of introducing a joint custody system at the Justice Ministry on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 20, 2023
Panel releases draft outline covering joint child custody system
Under the current law, only one of the divorced parents is granted custody.
Low fertility threatens to undermine South Korea’s economic future by shrinking its workforce and slowing consumption.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 14, 2023
South Korea set to see fertility rate fall even further
The country already has the world’s lowest fertility rate at 0.78 as of 2022.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a government meeting on child policies on Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2023
Japan to boost spending on measures to tackle low birthrate
The government will make official a program that will have nursery schools accept children even if both parents do not work, among other measures.
With the envisioned free university tuition program for families with three or more children, the government hopes to step up its financial assistance to households struggling with education costs.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 7, 2023
Japan plans to make university tuition free for large families
The program will cover households with three or more children from fiscal 2025.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.