Joint parental custody comes into effect in Japan

A revised law in Japan allowing joint parental custody after divorce came into effect Wednesday, with the aim of enabling both parents to play a role in child-rearing amid increasingly diverse family dynamics.In the first change to the law on parental custody since 1947, Japan's Civil Code allows divorced parents to choose either sole or joint custody, a shift from the current system that allows custody by only one parent. The new law can also apply retroactively to those who have already divorced.The change comes amid global criticism over parental abduction cases involving Japanese spouse…READ FULL ARTICLE