Japan's New Joint Custody Law: A Game Changer

0:00On April 1, Japan just made a huge change to family law, letting divorced parents share custody of their kids for the first time. This civil code update kicked in this week, ending Japan's status as the only G7 nation without joint custody options. Before this, courts almost always gave full custody to one parent, usually the mom, leaving the other out in the cold with no legal say. Those could agree on visits privately, but fights in court meant sole custody every time. Critics slammed the old setup for splitting families apart, with tons of parents losing all contact with their children. International pressure ramped up too, spotlighting cases were one parent took off with the kids, like that table tennis star's messy divorce or the French dad's Olympic protest. Now family courts can pick joint or sole custody and even revisit old divorces from before the change. They are also requiring child support, about 20,000 yen a month from the non-custodial parent. While folks hope this cuts down on abductions and keys both parents involved, worries

1:03linger about forcing contact in abuse cases. Courts promised to award sole custody there to protect everyone involved, aiming for fair outcomes across the board. Stay in form with Global News, AI-powered updates. I'm Corey with The Story.