Traditionally, custody is granted to a single parent, who can then entirely restrict the other parent’s contact with their children.
Until Friday, Japan was the only G7 country that did not acknowledge the legal notion of joint custody.
Most divorces in Japan are “consent divorces,” in which both spouses sign a paper and mutually end their marriage.
According to lawyers, in this case, the couple has the freedom to decide on custody and visiting arrangements. However, if the two parties go to court, the judge will grant custody to one parent.
