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Most divorces in Japan are settled by consent, which doesn't mandate a child-support agreement. Even when a child-support agreement is legally agreed on, there aren't mechanisms available to single mo

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Miyuki Shimoebisu, an associate professor at Tohoku University in Sendai, who has studied divorce settlements in Japan and the U.S. About half of all one-parent families in Japan live below the poverty line, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (Bloomberg)

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And there aren't mechanism for fathers to get child custody. Shouldn't have one without the other. System is broken all around.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

And there aren't mechanism for fathers to get child custody.

That's incorrect. While it's rare that fathers get custody, it does happen.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

When my employee got divorced he paid his wife a lump sum and agreed never to see her or his daughter again. While we in the West will always think our way is the best, the Japan approach attempts to avoid the mucky-muck and constant tension between parents after a divorce with kids, and encourages both parties to marry someone new, who will truly become the father (or mother) of the child, usually legally adopting him/her. Gotta say, the Japanese way is not so bad.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

And there aren't mechanism for fathers to get child custody. exactly why should i pay a mother to support a child i may never get to see,

the Japan approach attempts to avoid the mucky-muck and constant tension between parents after a divorce with kids, unfortunately that only helps the parents, what about the child who may love there father and want to still see him. If I ever got divorced I would only pay support money if I was still able to see my children. may sound selfish, but not as selfish as a mother refusing the father access to his children but still taking his money!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Gotta say, the Japanese way is not so bad.

Ex-PM Koizumi's third kid wants to see his dad but still frozen out, last I read. (His mom wants the kid to see the dad, too.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koizumi_family

...

o - Yoshinaga Miyamoto (1982 - ) - has never met his father Junichiro.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Well...the Family Courts in North America are probably the most corrupt. Men are getting beat to the ground and women are living high on the hog. Not so sure the western way is all that great. Both systems are full of corruption and and judge and lawyer collusion.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Well I guess it was lucky I was not only "ready, willing and able" to work (because hubby had NO intention of making any kind of payment...) but the two boys were separated (which is the reason I stayed on in Japan) and that was pretty hard on all concerned...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Japan doesn't believe in shared parenting after divorce; instead prefer clean separation. Probably also less work/confusion for the koseki family registry system. So they don't give divorced families at least the option whether to continue shared parenting or opt for a complete break.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@pointofview Not so sure the western way is all that great.

That is why it took international pressure for Japan to stop abducting children, right?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@scipantheist,

In regards to abductions..Yes.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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