Divorce issues
Dear Lifelines, My wife and I have been separated for three years. I do not see any hope for our marriage and feel we need to get a divorce. I have two children. What should I do? -- Tony in Chiba
Dear Tony; For whatever reason, there is a rise in divorce here in Japan involving Japanese and non-Japanese. We at The Japan Helpline are swamped with similar calls. The reasons for the rise are complex, but involve a number of factors, including the dramatic rise in people coming to Japan, particularly during the bubble years. In addition, large number of Japanese are going overseas.
Divorce in Japan is surprisingly simple. All you need to do to get divorced is for both parties to sign a divorce form, which you can obtain from your local city office. If there are no disputes involved it is as simple as that.