In Japan, Adultery Can Cost You Your Job as Well as Your Marriage

Blog Fūkibinran. Now that is a Japanese expression you don’t see around much these days. I bet many young Japanese readers don’t even know how to read the four kanji that make up this word: 風紀紊乱. It means something akin to “an affront to public morality,” “a breakdown in customary discipline” or, perhaps, “compromising love relations.” But […]

Japan: Couple in 20s file suit over 6-month remarriage ban for women

Blog A couple in their 20s, who have a five-month-old son, have filed a suit with the Tokyo District Court against the Japanese government, challenging the constitutionality of Article 733 of the Civil Code which prohibits only women from remarrying within six months after getting a divorce. The couple, who are from Shizuoka Prefecture, said […]

Bond Unreliable to Deter Potential International Child Abduction

Blog Courts sometimes require that a parent should be permitted to take a child for an international visit, despite the objections of the other parent, if the taking parent posts a financial bond. However, such a requirement often provides a false sense of security. Last year, a Florida appeal court sensibly overturned a lower court’s […]

International Family Law: Comparing Divorce Jurisdictions

Blog Procedure May Trump Substance  Jeremy D. Morley www.international-divorce.com   When comparing possible jurisdictions for international family law cases, it is frequently important to focus on procedural matters and not simply to compare the rules and practices concerning the division of assets, maintenance and other substantive issues. For example, while it is important to know how different […]

Uganda Divorce & Bride Price

Blog The Supreme Court of Uganda has refused to declare that the practice of exchanging money, cows, or other goods for a bride is unconstitutional in Uganda, notwithstanding the claim that it reduces the women to mere properties. However, the Court has ruled that it is unconstitutional for a man to have the right to […]

Malaysia and International Child Abduction

Blog Malaysia is not a party to the Hague Abduction Convention. Malaysia has refused to adopt the treaty, on the ground that it would purportedly contradict Shariah law, since that law bases child custody decisions to a substantial extent on religious, age and gender factors.  Given that the Convention has now been signed by more […]

Prenuptial Agreements in Japan

Blog We have represented many international clients who have entered into marriage contracts or prenuptial agreements with Japanese spouses. We always work in collaboration with Japanese counsel in such matters as appropriate and as instructed by our clients. Prenuptial agreements are not common in Japan. They have never been a part of Japanese culture, even […]

International Child Relocations

Blog I was pleased that authors Audrey G. Masilla and Kristine M. Jacquin, in their chapter entitled “Relocation Evaluations in Child Custody Disputes” in the newly-published Handbook of Child Custody (Mark L. Goldstein, editor) relied substantially, when discussing international relocations, on my prior article on the topic.  My article, entitled “The Impact of Foreign Law on Child Custody […]