Change to civil code will bring Japan into line with other G7 countries, amid concerns existing law inflicts psychological harm on children Divorced couples in Japan will for the first time be able to negotiate joint custody of their children after parliament voted this week for changes to laws permitting only sole custody. Under Japan’s civil code, couples must decide which parent will take custody of their children when their marriage ends – a requirement that critics say causes children psychological harm and prevents the “left-behind” parent from playing a fuller role in their upbringing ..read more

London law firm admits to error but judge says final order cannot be overturned A couple were divorced by mistake after solicitors at a leading law firm made a computer error but a senior judge has said it cannot be overturned. The couple, referred to as Mr and Mrs Williams by the high court, were married for 21 years until they separated in 2023 ..read more

I decided to try everything I had ever wanted to do: standup comedy, speaking Spanish, running, swimming and sailing. On the other side of fear, I learned, lay all the best experiences The silence in the flat was deafening. Having lost almost everything in my divorce, it was now just me in a basement studio flat with black mould. I had no TV, no sofa and the wifi wasn’t set up. I sat at a cheap folding table and made a list. Since my life was no longer going to be the way I had planned – marriage, kids, a dog, a late-Victorian terrace in a country town – I was going to try something else. I wa ..read more

This impeccably performed, engaging take on Kramer vs Kramer delivers a subtly shaded portrait of current gay lifestyles This poignant drama is practically a remake of Kramer vs Kramer from 1979 – though this time with two divorcing New York-based dads fighting for custody of their kid instead of K2’s traditional pairing of a husband and wife. And like the older Dustin Hoffman-Meryl Streep vehicle, Our Son is a bit soapy and middlebrow, but impeccably performed all-round, led by a trio of terrific turns from Luke Evans and Billy Porter as the two fathers, with winning, winsome support from Chr ..read more

The statute, which can lead to reproductive coercion in a state that has banned abortion, has recently gained nationwide attention At six months pregnant, H decided enough was enough. She had endured years of abuse from her husband and had recently discovered he was also physically violent towards her child. She contacted an attorney to help her get a divorce. But she was stopped short. Her lawyer told her that she could not finalize a divorce in Missouri because she was pregnant. “I just absolutely felt defeated,” she said. H returned to the house she shared with her abuser, sleeping in her c ..read more

Over-65s are splitting up like never before. But what if you still love each other and want to hang on to what you’ve built together? It used to be that, if you were still happily coupled into your 60s, you would be together for ever. But that has changed: now, mine is the group ever more likely to be splitting up. Between 2002 and 2022, the number of over-65s getting divorced each year in England and Wales more than tripled, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics. What has happened? Partly, it’s about life expectancy increasing and life opportunities expanding when we ..read more

From feeling like teenagers again to calling it quits, readers tell us how their relationships evolved after their children left home Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email After years in the trenches together raising a family, couples whose children have flown the coop face a very different looking future. Like all major life transitions it can be a fraught time, especially for relationships. It even has its own syndrome. While the complicated feelings of loss and pride aren’t a clinical diagnosis, the fallout from the shift in family dynamics can be significant. According to readers ..read more

Sometimes screens and nothing time can be exactly what we need, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but long term they can set a trap I recently got divorced after 30 years. My choice as we weren’t happy. We parted on good terms. No kids. And while I was once very sociable and enjoyed working in an office – socialising with work friends – the pandemic has made me feel even more isolated. I have a stressful job and I work from home and, since I now live alone, it’s so easy to just isolate myself with a home dinner, Netflix and early to bed. How do I get myself out of this funk ..read more

The failed resolutions and bleak weather this time of year are just as predictable and immovable as every other yearly event. Maybe it’s time we did more than ‘gratitude journal’ Yesterday was Blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year, according to an idea that has long been debunked by everyone, including its creator – but somehow still strikes a chord. When you’re still paying the price for Christmas excess, indebted, hungover, sickened by the very things that previously were your joy (pigs in blankets), the last thing you want is the fresh humiliation of new year resolutio ..read more

Nine people who managed to break up without hostility or bitterness tell us how they did it My parents had the most acrimonious divorce of anyone I know. Years of rage culminated in a decision to live on opposite sides of the world. I never heard my parents speak well of each other. The unexpected silver lining of this experience was that, when my marriage of 15 years was coming to an end, I knew how not to do it ..read more