More on wills
"To quote your column from some time ago," writes MJ, " 'Japanese inheritance law states that at the death of one spouse, half the estate goes to the remaining partner and half to the children of the marriage.'
"Does this apply when the deceased hasn't written a will? Will a will written in another country control the distribution of the estate? How do I get more info about this?"
Writing a will is not a tradition here, so Japanese law is very clear. If there is a will and it cuts out a spouse, he or she will get half of what they would otherwise be entitled to, in other words, a quarter. Any other claim must go through the courts.