April 16, 2026
TOKYO – The domestic violence counseling system for Japanese nationals living abroad may soon cover a larger range of countries. Support is currently offered in six countries, including in Europe and the United States, and the Foreign Ministry plans to expand the system to Asia by the end of fiscal 2026.
Since some people hesitate to seek help because they do not speak the local language, the aim is to connect them with specialists who can assist them in Japanese, thereby preventing problems before they arise.
Japanese embassies, consulates and permanent missions will outsource advising services to local support organizations, which will provide counseling and respond in Japanese to inquiries related to domestic violence. The program is currently available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia and Canada. Within this fiscal year, the ministry is considering launching the program in South Korea and Singapore, where there are large Japanese communities.
Generally, domestic violence counseling for Japanese nationals is handled by embassies, consulates and permanent missions. However, since laws and support systems abroad differ from those in Japan and specialized knowledge is required, diplomatic missions have in some cases found it difficult to handle the task. The support organizations contracted to provide counseling services in Europe and the United States receive about 720 requests for counsel on average per organization per year.
In January last year, an incident occurred in Budapest where the body of a Japanese woman who had reported violence from her Irish ex-husband was found. The woman had reportedly talked to the local police, but her complaint was not addressed.
Japanese nationals who return to Japan with their children to escape abuse may face lawsuits from former partners who claim the children have been illegally abducted, or they may even be arrested on charges of kidnapping.
“We want to create a system that makes it easy for anyone to seek advice,” said an official from the ministry.