A female acquaintance - Japanese, married to a Japanese man, living in a small rural town in Japan - is presently a victim of domestic violence. She and her husband have a nest egg, but he controls the finances. She doesn’t really have friends or family that she can turn to for help/support.
I’m looking for input from anyone familiar with Japanese culture and law. Realistically, what are her options? If she retains a lawyer and files for divorce, she’s willing to work (although she has not since graduating from college several decades ago), but she would like to claim her half of their substantial nest egg when she leaves. Can a lawyer working through the Japanese legal system make that happen?
If the abuse gets bad (it’s not yet, but the trend is unfavorable), what resources are available to her? How does Japanese law enforcement (particularly the police in a rural town) respond to incidents of domestic violence?
You or she may find this link helpful: http://www.ajwrc.org/eng/modules/cclinks/
Domestic violence in Japan was only illegalized within the last decade. Chronic silence on the part of the victim is institutionalized in many collective cultures, Japan included. It’s probably not going to be easy to find a shelter unless she has kids. Does she have family she can stay with while serving him with divorce papers? I would not even focus on the monetary aspect of things in the middle of a crisis. That line of thinking leads to bad decisions and might cause her to backslide right back into the relationship.
Several important things:
First and foremost: She should get help. This sitelooks like good and has a toll free phone number. Here’s another. She can google “DV” (for domestic violence).
The laws have recently been strengthened, but I would definitely talk to a center before trying to talk to the police.
Divorce can be tricky in Japan if one party doesn’t want to get a divorce, but her being the victim of domestic violence will be very different than my experience. She will be eligible for half of the estate which acquired during the marriage. If there are children, the father will have to pay child support, but I’ve heard it’s not as rigorously enforced as say the States. If one party commits adultery, the other party can receive compensation. I would hope it would be the same for domestic violence, but this is Japan, so I don’t know.
She will most likely have not been paying into the Japanese social security system during the marriage, but will have been linked to her husband’s account. She should eligible for a share of his retirement even after the divorce.
She should contact an attorney, and ask them. The second link shows centers in the various prefectures, and many of them facilitate consultations with attorneys who would be more familiar with the particular laws.
I hope she’s OK, and I would urge her to take action as soon as possible.