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July 12, 2026
 

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ADOPTION

Asahiro Kuni, a member of a former branch of the imperial family, says no one should be forced to be adopted into the imperial family.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2026
Former imperial family member views Japan’s adoption plan as ‘unrealistic’
The 81-year-old cousin of Emperor Emeritus Akihito said he believes no one should be “forced” to be adopted and that he hopes the system will “respect the wishes of individuals.”
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 29, 2026
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
Beyond the paperwork and the language barrier, James Benstead says the hardest part about adopting in Japan was the waiting.
A Danish flag flies in front of Christiansborg Palace, which houses Denmark's parliament, in Copenhagen on March 18.
WORLD
Jun 4, 2026
South Korean adoptees sue Denmark over right to know birth families
South Korea sent more than 140,000 children overseas for adoption between 1955 and 1999, according to an official inquiry in the country.
Police vehicles, including one carrying Yūki Adachi, are seen on April 28 in Nantan, Kyoto Prefecture, during an on-site investigation over the death of the 37-year-old man's adopted son.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2026
‘You’re not my real dad!’: Argument in car allegedly provoked murder in Kyoto case
The suspect told police during voluntary questioning before his arrest on Wednesday that he strangled his 11-year-old adopted son following an argument on the drive to school.
At a meeting of the Centrist Reform Alliance’s group studying stable imperial succession, Hirofumi Ryu (second from right), head of the group, delivers remarks on Thursday at the Diet building.
JAPAN
May 8, 2026
CRA to back adoption proposal for imperial family
The proposal calls for male members on the paternal line of former imperial family branches to be adopted back into the family.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said "unjust human rights violations" were committed when sending tens of thousands of children overseas for adoption.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 2, 2025
South Korea president apologizes for overseas adoptions failures
International adoptions began after the Korean War as a way to remove children born to local mothers and American GI fathers from a society that emphasized ethnic homogeneity.
The sign of Greenlandic representation in Copenhagen on Sunday
WORLD / Society
Jan 27, 2025
Adopted without consent, a Greenlander woman seeks justice
Kalanguak Absalonsen is one of four Greenlanders seeking compensation from Denmark for wrongful adoption. If the state refuses their request, they will take their case to court.
Teruo Naka (right) and Hironori Kondoh, both lawyers for a plaintiff stating the nationality law is unconstitutional, speak to reporters on Thursday at the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 17, 2024
Tokyo court upholds dual nationality ban, rejecting teen’s citizenship case
The lawsuit centered on whether the parents’ decision to acquire British citizenship for the child could be regarded as a decision made by the plaintiff.
By 2018, the number of children registered for adoption had dropped to around 15,000, down from about 44,000 in 2009, according to official statistics.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 6, 2024
China stops foreign adoptions, ending a complicated chapter
The ban raises questions for many of the hundreds of families in the United States who were in the process of adopting children from China.
South Korean writer Eun Seo-ran
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 6, 2023
Adopt a friend: South Korean writer’s unusual route to family
Single-person households now account for 41% of all households, official figures show — with that set to grow in coming decades.
Mia Lee Sorensen with her Danish mother, Lilian Hansen, 72, and father, Bent Hansen, 74, on the coast of Korsor, Denmark, on July 13. South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt and predatory adoption system.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 18, 2023
World’s largest ‘baby exporter’ confronts its painful past
South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt adoption system.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 24, 2023
In Japan, special adoption offers route to legal ties, but uptake remains sluggish
Around 80% of of the 42,000 children in Japan unable to live with their biological parents are being cared for in institutions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2023
Japan’s welfare ministry issues Unification Church warning over adoptions
The administrative guidance, issued over adoptions that are said to have taken place among the group’s followers, emphasized the conditions under which it is meant to take place.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2022
Japan ramps up Unification Church scrutiny with management and adoption probes
The inquiry into the church’s management and financial status is another step toward stripping it of its ‘religious corporation’ status.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 7, 2022
‘Mika in Real Life’: Emiko Jean tackles parenthood, love and self-acceptance
A woman looking to connect with her long-lost daughter (with a very attractive adoptive father) may sound like a rom-com premise, but the author delves into heavy themes in her adult debut.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 17, 2022
Campaigners say U.K. ‘forced adoption’ scandal far from over
A parliamentary committee has said some 185,000 children were taken away for adoption between 1949 and 1976 in England and Wales, and urged an official apology.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Dec 25, 2021
Child adoption slowly gains ground in Japan, though prospective parents still face obstacles
Child adoption slowly gains ground in Japan, though prospective parents still face a number of obstacles in trying to expand their families.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Mar 21, 2021
Same-sex parenthood draws unexpected support in Hungary
The Family Is Family campaign has enlisted 140 companies so far, up from 40 in February, in response to steps by the prime minister to effectively ban adoption for same-sex partners.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2020
‘True Mothers’: An intimate look at two sides of adoption
Naomi Kawase’s drama tackles child adoption and teenage pregnancy with seriousness and compassion, while drawing a stand-out performance from Aju Makita.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 16, 2020
In ‘True Mothers,’ Naomi Kawase examines what makes a family
Naomi Kawase draws on personal experience in her new film, an intimate look at adoption that blurs the line between documentary and fiction.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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