Pension ruling increases divorce in Japan

The number of Japanese couples who are filing for divorce increased in the 12 months from May 2006 to April 2007 after a ruling which means that divorced wives are equally entitled to pension benefits.

According to figures released by Japan's Health, Labour and Welfare ministry, between May last year and April this year 259,064 marriages ended in divorce, compared to 257,715 divorces in the previous 12 month period, the Mainichi Daily News reports.

The ministry believes that because couples are now aware how much they would be entitled to should their marriage end in divorce, more and more are being encouraged to separate. Moreover, it asserts that several couples would have put off finalising their divorce until April this year when the pension benefit scheme was officially instigated.

A ministry official said: "We can hardly think of any cause other than the introduction of the system under which employees' pension benefits are split between divorced husbands and wives.

"News organisations reported in August last year that the Social Insurance Agency would notify couples of how much they would receive in pension payments if they divorced. Therefore, many couples postponed their planned divorces."