{"id":301,"date":"2007-04-02T12:22:40","date_gmt":"2007-04-02T03:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=301"},"modified":"2008-06-04T22:40:35","modified_gmt":"2008-06-04T13:40:35","slug":"bbc-japan-set-for-divorce-rate-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=301","title":{"rendered":"BBC: Japan set for divorce rate boom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi Blog. I’ve written a few essays on the problems with divorce in Japan in the past. (see artery site at https:\/\/www.debito.org\/whattodoif.html#divorce<\/a><\/p>\n

Well, the BBC is projecting the same thing as I have: that yesterday’s pension reforms are going to bring about a few changes in the artificially low divorce rates in Japan. Wait and see. The most recent issue of Terrie’s Take also offers some forecasts afterwards. Debito<\/p>\n

========================<\/p>\n

Japan set for divorce rate boom
\nBy Chris Hogg BBC News, Tokyo
\nPublished: 2007\/04\/01 05:44:14 GMT<\/b>
\nhttp:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/go\/pr\/fr\/-\/2\/hi\/asia-pacific\/6515193.stm<\/a><\/p>\n

New pension laws coming into effect in Japan could lead to an explosion in divorces, some experts are warning.<\/p>\n

The rules will make it easier for wives to claim up to half their husband’s pension once the marriage is over.<\/p>\n

The number of divorces in Japan has been rising for several decades, but the trend reversed four years ago when the new laws were first discussed.<\/p>\n

Many believe that wives in unhappy marriages have been waiting for the new laws to come into effect on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Japan’s divorce rate is still quite low – around two divorces for every 1,000 marriages.<\/p>\n

Shame is one reason. A failed marriage is frowned upon here, particularly among the older generation.<\/p>\n

But money is another important factor. Wives often have real concerns that they will not be able to support themselves if they leave the marital home.<\/p>\n

Retirement looms<\/b><\/p>\n

The change in the law will help. It will make it easier for women to force their husbands to share their pensions.<\/p>\n

One survey suggested that in as many as 42,000 couples, wives have been waiting for the rules to change.<\/p>\n

Last autumn, the social insurance agency began offering a confidential service which helped couples calculate how much of the husband’s pension should be given to the wife.<\/p>\n

Some 90% of the applications have been from women.<\/p>\n

And there is another factor at work. Japan’s baby boom generation is starting to retire this year.<\/p>\n

That adds up to around five million mostly male workers, who have spent their lives working long hours, and often drinking long after work, several nights a week.<\/p>\n

These absentee spouses will now have much more time to spend at home – all day, every day – perhaps for the first time in the couple’s married life.<\/p>\n

Many here believe that will prove too much for their wives to cope with.
\nENDS<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

AND AS A RESULT–WHAT HAPPENS TO THE RETIREES WHO COME HOME TO WIVES THEY DON’T KNOW? TERRIE’S TAKE SPECULATES (EXCERPT):<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

========================
\nThe wave of retirements will definitely bring about some interesting socio-economic changes. Not having a “family” of like-minded salarymen to report to every morning will be a big shock for most male baby boomers — who have been described as the “generation waiting for instructions”. They will be forced to make lifestyle changes and as a result, many will become angry, upset, and confused. We expect the suicide and divorce rate to soar as a result.<\/p>\n

The problem, of course, is that many of these men have followed a rigid routine for the last 40 years and find it very difficult to make friends outside their work — particularly with their alienated wives. As a result, they are likely to become part of the statistics contributing to the pending divorce surge we wrote about several weeks ago.<\/p>\n

After the divorce, the future is unremittingly bleak for many of these male retirees. A recent OECD survey found that Japanese men are amongst the loneliest in the world, with 16.7% of males rarely or never having contact with friends or colleagues outside work. However, with Need being the Mother of Invention (and life changes), we imagine that a growing number of retirees will realize that to save their marriages, they have to start a new life and get to know their partner again.
\n========================<\/p>\n

GOOD LUCK. ANYWAY, THIS IS GETTING BEYOND THE PURVIEW OF THIS BLOG, BUT THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OF TERRIE’S TAKE (FROM WHICH I HAVE EXCERPTED ABOVE) HAS SOME INTERESTING PROGNOSTICATION ABOUT JAPAN AFTER THE BABY BOOMERS RETIRE (PROBABLY ASSUMING RAPID MIGRATION INTO JAPAN DOES NOT HAPPEN). FOR THOSE INTERESTED, SEE IT AT <\/i><\/b>http:\/\/www.japaninc.com\/terries_take<\/a> (ISSUE 415) DEBITO<\/i><\/b>
\nENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi Blog. I’ve written a few essays on the problems with divorce in Japan in the past. (see artery site at https:\/\/www.debito.org\/whattodoif.html#divorce Well, the BBC is projecting the same thing as I have: that yesterday’s pension reforms are going to bring about a few changes in the artificially low divorce rates in Japan. Wait and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cultural-issue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}