Japanese Diet Approves Amendment for Parents to Share Custody of Children After Divorce

The proposed amendment to the Civil Code, which would allow both parents to share custody of their children after a divorce, was adopted by the parliamentary assembly on Friday.

According to the current Civil Code, parental authority is awarded to only one parent after a divorce. The amendment revises the current system to allow divorced parents to opt for joint custody if they agree.

The new system will be implemented by the 2026 financial year and will allow couples who were separated before implementation to switch to joint custody by filing a request in a family court.