Skip to content
relates to Japan Tries to Fix a Child Custody System Under Fire From All Sides

 Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg

Equality
Society

Japan Tries to Fix a Child Custody System Under Fire From All Sides

Thanks to sole custody, limited visitation and weak courts, kids are often estranged from one parent. But opponents of reform say some proposed changes could make matters worse.

Yasuo Hojyo was home alone when his wife and five-year-old son appeared in the doorway. He said the boy seemed troubled. “My son was looking at my wife uneasily. He looked confused,” Hojyo said.

When he returned from work a few days later, they were gone. Inside was a letter from a lawyer saying his wife had filed for divorce.

Share