Marriage In Japan

Why do Japanese get married? There are many reasons; to save money, to avoid loneliness, to live a better life etc. But in most cases, people get married for love. Almost always so, marriage is different in western culture and in Japan. Marriage in modern Western culture is based on mutual relationship and friendship. In the western part, there is an independent tendency. Most university graduates live with their families and find the apartment near the workplace.

Japan is another society with a history of marriage arrangements. Most young Japanese people today like the common love marriage in Western European countries, but the proportion of all marriages in Japan is estimated to be between 10% and 30%. The marriage arranged in Japan was originally done by the warrior class of the 16th century. Like European royal companions, samurai used marriage as a means of getting military alliances. This custom eventually spread to the city class, and over time a highly developed ritual was formed around the process of marriage arrangements.

In recent years, the number of international marriages in Japan has dramatically increased, and now there are about 40,000 international marriages every year in Japan. Unfortunately, the number of international divorce has increased dramatically. More than 15,000 international marriages are divorced each year. Based on mutual agreement, divorce by agreement (kyōgiikon agreement divorce). As long as the parties have signed and sealed the registration documents in advance, the foreign spouse need not go to the municipal government to undergo the divorce registration process. Japan divorce of over 90% uses this fast and simple and completely non-judicial process

With the increase of international marriage in Japan, divorce is also increasing. In Japan, 20 thousand international couples divorce each year, about 231,000 people divorce rate per year (* figures in 2013), which is below the peak of divorce rate of 290 thousand in 2002. The majority of Japan's divorce (about 90%) agrees to separate from one another. Usually this type of divorce occurs after a short marriage when there is no child or economic difference. Both parties basically need to use their personal seal (inkan) to cover rikon todoke (individual session) from the office's employee office (kuyakusho).