Divorce​—Where East Meets West

By Awake! correspondent in Japan

“LET ME retire from my work too.” These words came as a surprise to an executive retiring from a major Japanese trading company. His wife wanted to retire from being his mate and homemaker. Their country is experiencing an upsurge in its divorce rate, which, surprisingly, engulfs the middle-aged and older. Among those in their 50’s and 60’s, the number of divorces has tripled in 20 years. Giving up on their marriage seems to have become their last opportunity to find a happier life.

At the other end of the age scale, younger couples who become disillusioned with each other during their honeymoons decide to have a Narita rikon (Narita divorce). Narita is Tokyo’s international airport, and the expression refers to newlywed couples who say good-bye to each other and their marriage when they arrive back at Narita. In fact, 1 out of 4 or 5 couples seek divorce in Japan. They view divorce as the door to a happier life.

Admittedly, women’s viewpoints in the East have long been repressed. For example, in the old days in Japan, a husband could divorce his wife with just “three and a half lines” of writing. All he had to do was write down in three-and-a-half lines a statement confirming the divorce and hand the piece of paper to his wife. His wife, on the other hand, had no easy way to obtain a divorce except by taking refuge in a temple that offered sanctuary to women running away from bullying husbands. With no means to support themselves, wives have had to bear loveless marriages and even their husbands’ extramarital affairs.