Raising a child as a single parent is difficult for many reasons but one of the major hurdles is usually the economic strain of raising a child, or children, alone on a single income. In order to ease the economic stress of single parents, the Japanese government offers single parents a Child Support Allowance.
The Child Support Allowance is paid to single parents living with their child in Japan. The allowance continues until the child reaches 18 years of age. To receive this financial support, the single parent must have income below a certain level and be able to show that he or she is divorced, widowed or the other spouse is incapacitated in some way (such as missing, abandoned or imprisoned).
Child Support Allowance is not paid to single parents living outside of Japan or if the child has been placed in a facility. Furthermore, under normal circumstances, the parents need to be fully divorced, not merely separated, before the spouse taking care of the child can receive this economic support.
If you have questions about child support in Japan, please contact our office for a legal consultation.