Family Law Archives - Page 10 of 14

July 25, 2016

Do married couples have a duty to support each other even when separated?

Married couples have a duty to financially support each other during the course of their marriage. This duty to support exists even when the spouses are living separately. Usually these support payments will take the form of monthly bank transfers, similar to child support after divorce. The amount of money should be enough to provide for the daily necessities of the lower-income spouse.

July 1, 2016

How are child support payments calculated in Japan?

The basic premise behind child support payments in Japan is to give the child a standard of living enjoyed by the parent with the obligation to pay child support. These payments can either be determined by a government schedule or through a calculation. Because court-ordered child support payments are based on a formula and are fairly easy to predict, it usually allows divorcing parties to agree on the amount of child support payments relatively quickly.

June 8, 2016

What is the Japan Central Authority?

The Hague Convention on International Child Abduction mandates that member countries establish or designate a Central Authority to handle cases brought under the Hague Convention. As the actual work of enforcing the Hague Convention falls on the staff of each country’s Central Authority, these offices play an important role in ensuring the smooth and efficient cooperation between countries according to the rules of the Hague Convention. In Japan, the Central Authority has been established in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

May 20, 2016

Does marrying a Japanese citizen automatically grant the spouse Japanese citizenship?

Simply marrying a Japanese citizen does not automatically grant Japanese citizenship to a foreign national. Attaining Japanese citizenship must be done though the normal naturalization process. While the naturalization process is somewhat easier for spouses of Japanese citizens, the naturalization application is quite time consuming and detailed. In addition, there may be a waiting period of several years before the spouse can apply, depending on the circumstances.