Foreign single mothers in Japan face a web of challenges, with language barriers and visa issues often making it harder for them to escape poverty than their Japanese counterparts. Experts are urging the government to create a safer environment where these women can continue living in Japan without fear.

Reina (whose name has been changed), a 37-year-old Filipino national living in the city of Nagoya, came to Japan in 2008 after marrying a Japanese man 18 years her senior. She moved in with him and his parents in Aichi Prefecture, but as her husband was the only English speaker in the household, she had no one else to talk to. Forbidden from seeing friends and forced to devote herself to housework, she became socially isolated.

Her husband, kind before marriage, grew abusive when in a bad mood, hurling verbal insults and eventually resorting to physical violence. Two years after their wedding, the couple had a daughter, but the abuse persisted. “I couldn’t speak Japanese, so I couldn’t get a job or escape,” she said. Once, after being punched in the face, she ran to her local police box, but without the ability to explain her situation she had no option but to return home.