For two US citizens to divorce, both must be in mutual agreement and commit to these requirements:
☑️ Mutual Agreement Divorce
All aspects of the mutual agreement divorce must be settled. This includes division of assets, alimony, retirement pay, child custody, and visitation arrangements.
If mutual agreement has not been reached, consider completing a Separation Agreement.
☑️ Attend the hearing date
Both parties must be physically present at the scheduled hearing, which lasts 30 minutes, for the mutual agreement divorce to proceed. Failure to commit to attending the hearing renders you unable to fulfill the requirements.
☑️ Two US Citizens, US Service Members, US SOFA Status, or US Passport Holders.
The family court office in Okinawa handles divorces only within the scope of US law, involving two US citizens, military service, SOFA status members or US Passport Holders. Divorces involving one US citizen and one of another nationality (e.g., Brazilian, Filipino, or Thai) are not processed at the Okinawa Family Court Office.
Brief Explanation of the Divorce Process Workflow
Step One:
Contact us via phone or email to receive the necessary documents for completion and notarization. We will also request documents such as passports and marriage certificates to be sent to us via scan or photo. Decide who will be the Petitioner and Respondent. The Petitioner must commit to coming to our home office to sign the application forms. (This can be done concurrently with payment.)
Step Two:
Our office will prepare all the documentation for submission to the Family Court Office and initiate the divorce case. Once accepted, typically within 2-3 weeks, we will cover the fees for court-appointed interpreters. Upon confirmation, an official divorce date document will be mailed to our office. This entire divorce process generally takes approximately one month.
Step Three:
Both the Petitioner (you) and Respondent (your spouse) will physically attend the hearing at the Okinawa Family Court. Since all aspects of the divorce are mutually agreed upon, the process will typically only take 30 minutes.
Final Step:
The Okinawa Family Court will send the official divorce decree to our office. We will then translate the Original Japanese-issued Divorce Decrees into Certified English translations. These documents can be collected from our office, or we can mail them directly to you in the USA.
Divorce FAQ
What are the Grounds for Divorce in Okinawa, Japan?
Grounds for Divorce
Below are grounds for divorce you may choose on the Divorce Application when submitting a Divorce petition in Japan.
1. Incompatibility
This is the most selected grounds for divorce. When there is no exact cause such as infidelity, violence, or debt, by one of the parties, and the parties simply wish to get divorce, incompatibility would be the appropriate choice. Because no fault can be placed on either party under incompatibility, the parties cannot demand alimony or compensation from one another.
2. Love Life
Infidelity.
3. Domestic Violence
Physical abuse.
4. Excessive Drinking
Alcoholism.
5. Sexual Discord
One party continuously rejects to engage in sexual intercourse. If neither party is willing to engage in the same, it does not count as sexual discord, but will be deemed “incompatibility”.
6. Wasteful Habits
One party spends most of his/her money on unnecessary things such as gambling or shopping AND will not contribute to the couple’s living expenses (desertion).
7. Illness
One party developed severe mental illness or with no chance of recovery.
8. Emotional Abuse
9. Does not care about the family
10. Does not get along with the family
11. Does not agree to live together
12. Does not contribute to living expenses
13. Other Material ground other than above that is making it difficult to continue marital relationship.
What is stated on the final court Order Japanese Divorce Decree?
Here is an example of what a Japanese Family Court Divorce Decree looks like after the hearing date is over.
Page 1 & 2 of the Japanese Court Ordered Divorce Decree for US Citizens.
Our office will translate this document from Japanese to English so that it can report your divorce or prove your divorce in the future.
If you do not have any children, it will only state details of both the petitioner and the other party and that the couple arbitrated a divorce along with any particulars about asset division.
If the divorcing couple had children, it will state any of the specifics such as child custody and child support or alimony.
A divorce issued in Japan follows US State Laws and is legally recognized in the United States.
All divorces are court ordered and supported on the US side to be enforced if not followed.