[Question] My husband has been abusing me, both physically and verbally. How and where can I seek help?

[Answer]

The Law on Prevention of Spouse Violence and Protection of Victims allows government authorities to provide various forms of support to physically and mentally battered wives, including urging witnesses of domestic violence to report the case to relevant agencies, offering consultation, protection and self-reliance program to the victims. The law also covers foreigners who are abused by their husbands. Language and resident status sometimes compound their situation but if you are suffering from domestic violence you can seek help and advice by contacting following centers. Osaka Women’s Center offers a temporary shelter for women who have to escape from their husbands immediately.

Osaka Women’s Center Hotline (06-6949-6181) is open from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday to Friday. (English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portugues, Thai, Filipino and Vietnamese)
Child and Family Center in Osaka

[Question] I’ve been married to a Japanese woman. My wife has returned to her parents' house and says she does not want to live with me. What recourses do I have in this instance?

[Answer]

First of all, try to create opportunities to have an open and honest communication with your wife because more often than not, lack of communication and misunderstanding are the roots of the dysfunctional marriage. Since your domicile is in Japan, your case will be decided on the basis of the Japanese law and Article 752 of the Civil Code of Japan provides the duty of husband and wife to live together. If your wife refuses to talk with you and other out-of-court options are exhausted, you can file for arbitration session with the Family court for their intervention. With the presence of mediators you will have a chance to talk with your wife. You can also file for “shinpan” trial proceeding with the family court, demanding your wife to live with you. However, given the nature of the problem, it is impossible to force her to live with you against her will even if the court rules in favor of your request. Sometimes you may encounter difficult situation when your spouse won’t support you or help you with renewal procedure of your resident status. Please talk with immigration officials before your resident status expires and produce documents you can come up with to renew your status.