How many foreigners are absorbed into Japan through marriage? (of course not all of these couples stay in Japan)

Kansai Time Out article on international marriages

"FOREIGN WIVES"
Neelu Kaur speaks to some foreign women about their experiences being married to Japanese men.
...According to the Japanese Almanac 2000, international marriages, particularly those of Japanese men to foreign wives, have increased substantially over the past few years. In 1997 foreign brides numbered 20,902, almost triple the foreign groom figure of 7,349.
etc.

http://www.kto.co.jp/article1.html

Wednesday, January 10, 2001 - 12:02 pm:
Tokyowives is an email group run by and for foreign wives of Japanese husbands, we chat about international marriages, bilingual children, you name it ! You can be anywhere in Japan, not just Tokyo ! If you are one of those foreign brides in an international marriage with a Japanese guy then come and join us at http://www.egroups.com/group/TokyoWives


Friday, January 26, 2001 - 01:46 pm:
Oops! Decided to change the name to reflect that this email list includes wives all over Japan and not just Tokyo, which is what we meant to do in the first place.

MarriedinJapan@egroups.com

Free on line email group welcomes ALL foreign wives with Japanese husbands/partners living in Japan.
JOIN this lively friendly community of women ; make new friends; chat about daily life in Japan; discuss international marriages; raising bilingual children; learning Nihongo.
Come and share your experiences, ask those questions you have longed to ask, find support and advice and relax in the company of NEW friends.

Or check out our web page at http://www.egroups.com/group/MarriedinJapan


Monday, January 29, 2001 - 06:18 pm:

PLEASE NOTE!!!
Egroups has been bought by Yahoo, so the Married in Japan egroup address has changed to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarriedinJapan

subscribe to:
MarriedinJapan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

contact info : tracy@mx9.ttcn.ne.jp
Hope to hear from you all !

"The number of registered foreign residents in Japan during the 1999 surpassed 1.55 million, a nearly 3% increase over 1998, and almost double the figure for 1986, when the number of foreign residents was about 870,000."

[quote from Eiichi Kamio's book, "Zainichi Gaikokujin ga Tsukuru Shinshijo" (New Markets created by foreign residents in Japan). He is a South Korean resident in Japan for over 20 years]

So international marriages within Japan are also on the rise. Hurray! Still a minority but gaining...

"Why so few Western women with Japanese men?
by Sian Thatcher
Why is it that men come over from the West and get married to Japanese girls, while girls come over and just get frustrated? When it comes to love in Japan, the guys become heroes, revered by all and sundry, whereas the women are repeatedly ignored.
Over the last three decades there has been a sharp increase in the number of international marriages in Japan. In 1970, there were only 5,546 international marriages, compared to 36,263 in 2000. In many of these cases, the groom was Japanese, but the bride was usually from neighboring Asian countries. When the bride was Japanese, Americans ranked high on the list of husbands."
[snip] -- very, very long, but possibly interesting to some of us ;-)
September 10, 2003
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=comment&id=466

Tomorrow (Saturday 11 October 2003) NHK Television (channel 1 in Tokyo) will have a program on International Marriage.
I don't know if there will be anything of real interest but it is at 7:30 pm. It's NHK so it will probably be some sort of feel good feature, but if anyone out there watches it and understands Japanese, I would really appreciate if you could take some notes and post a short summary of what it was about!

You may also want to check this site for some of the dangers involved.

Children's Rights Network of Japan - a must read before marriage, having children, or divorce with a Japanese citizen

The following FAQ applies to marriages between Japanese and US citizens, taken From the American Community Update - February 2005:

Q: If I get legally married in Japan, am I also married in the U.S.?
A: Yes.

Q: Do I need to register the marriage in Japan with the Embassy or my home state?
A: No.

Q: If I get married in the U.S., am I also married in Japan?
A: Yes. If your spouse is Japanese, s/he will need to register the marriage on his/her family registry (koseki).

Q: Do I need to register the marriage in the US with the American Embassy?
A: No. If your spouse is Japanese, s/he will need to register the marriage on his/her family registry (koseki).

A: So how do I get married in Japan?
A: First, find the right person. Then, you can learn more about how to marry in Japan at http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7114.html

Q: If I get married, do I automatically become a Japanese Citizen? Does my spouse become an American?
A: No and no. Becoming a citizen of another country after marriage requires a separate process called naturalization. For the U.S., your spouse must first become a legal permanent resident of the U.S., a green card holder. Learn more at http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-ivgeneral.html. For Japanese citizenship questions, please contact the Japanese Immigration Bureau.

Q: How come you won't tell me about how to become a Japanese Citizen on your web site?
A: We can speak only for the U.S. side. For any questions about Japanese government matters, such as citizenship, spouse visas or taxes, you need to talk to the Japanese side.

I'm doing the opposite. My wife was very abusive to both my son and I but before divorcing her I learned very well about gaijin rights here regarding their children. So one night (a horrible night) I took my son far away to the Kansai airport. Before taking off to the US, I made sure I had my wife's permission and had immigration confirm it. My wife said three months and then she wants her son back. I however, am going to fight for custody on this side. Anybody who can offer advice will be greatly appreciated. In particular, what if I refuse to give up my son before I can gain custody?

Hello Joey, I recently obtained custody of my 2 boys upon divorce of my Japanese husband in Shikoku.. I may have some info to help you. Please email me jen_tai@mac.com

Dear Joey and Junebug,
I am interested in talking with both of you-My situation is similar to Joey's in that my husband is abusive to me and my son and I want out but I don't know where to start-Is it possible to leave with my son and go to the US and fight for custody there? Any information would help!!
My email is jakejunsmom@yahoo.com
Thank you so much!

Shanhiro,
I don't have any personal experience to help you but this site has a lot of information.
http://www.crnjapan.com/en/index.html
Good luck with everything.

You have to be careful. In general US custody law puts the child in the location where it most recently lived for the past 6 months, for starters. It's tricky. Make sure you do your research ahead of time. IT helps to get the mother-in-law on your side (if she is at all inclined in that direction, but be careful here as well for obvious reasons).

I think if it were me and the spouse were really really out of control with no help in sight I would work under the table and put the kid(s) in home schooling - which are often better than public or private schools anyway.

Then after a year or two passed I would reexamine the available options.

But I'm just the type of responsible self-reliant person that doesn't want government in my life dictating what I should or should not do. They don't know - they weren't there.

What is the process to get married in Japan if I am marrying a foreign national with permanent resident visa?
She was married to a Japanese and had kids. She is divorced and has custody of the kids. This is one of the reason that we want to stay in Japan.
I am a naturalized US citizen. Will I still be able to stay in Japan without losing my US citizenship?