Japanese couples increasingly begin to arrange prenuptial agreements
An age-old practice fairly common in many Western countries is now gaining a foothold in Japan, with more and more people insisting on drawing up prenuptial agreements to ensure they are protected should their marriage end badly.
In Japan, formalizing the do’s and don’ts of married life or how assets are to be split in a breakup has largely been viewed as dooming the marriage to fail, with any discussion of the already taboo topic of divorce a cultural no-no, japantoday.com reported.
But with as many as 200,000 divorces occurring each year, Japanese couples have increasingly begun to arrange ‘prenups’ to hedge against any doubts they have about their partner and to ensure certain values and details are clearly stated before they take the plunge.
Yuriko Tada, an executive board member and notary public with the group Prenup Kyokai has, for a fee, arranged prenup agreements for 70 couples since 2014.
She said that she has seen a gradual increase in people seeking marriage agreements, mainly among women in their 20s to 40s.
Many women worry about their partners’ unfaithfulness or problems with debt, while men who request the service tend to want to protect assets they have accumulated.
A Tokyo housewife in her 30s arranged a prenup several years ago after consulting with Tada about her fiancé’s money problems.
“I’m not sure if my partner changed after the contract was made but it gave me a sense of security rather than doing nothing,” she said.
In some cases, after prenuptial negotiations, a couple may come to realize their marriage just is not meant to be because of a difference in values, said Tada.
She advised making prenup arrangements to make the best of marriage.
“By facing the realities of marriage, they are able to create an even better relationship as a married couple,” Tada said.