What Changes with Joint Custody? An Attorney from Authense Law Firm Explains Custody, Child Support, and Involvement with Children After Divorce

Authense Law Firm (Minato-ku, Tokyo) operates under the brand slogan 'Focus on Emotions,' representing a firm that approaches problem-solving by not only providing legal solutions but also empathizing with people's feelings.

We are pleased to announce that an attorney from our firm will appear on Thursday, May 21, 2026, in the segment 'Authense presents Rajitama Legal Consultation.' This segment is sponsored by our firm and airs on TOKYO FM's 'Radio Tamakawa,' a program hosted by Toru Tamakawa that covers a wide range of social and daily topics.

What is 'Joint Custody' that you should know for your child's sake?

In the 'Authense presents Rajitama Legal Consultation' segment within TOKYO FM's 'Radio Tamakawa,' we organize and clearly explain familiar legal issues from a lawyer's perspective.

For the fifth broadcast in May 2026, Attorney Naoko Abe of our firm, who handles many family cases such as divorce and inheritance, will make an appearance. The theme for this broadcast is 'Joint Custody,' which began in April 2026.

Previously, only sole custody, where only one of the parents holds parental rights, was permitted for custody after divorce. Due to legal amendments, it is now possible to choose 'joint custody,' where both parents share parental rights even after divorce. The Ministry of Justice explains that this amendment reviews laws related to parental authority/custody, child support, and parent-child interaction to secure the interests of children facing their parents' divorce. *1

*1 Source: Ministry of Justice 'Regarding the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc. (Review Regarding the Upbringing of Children After Parents' Divorce, etc.) [Effective April 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8)]'

Regarding the joint custody system, while there are expectations for both parents to be involved in raising the child after divorce, there are various opinions, including concerns about the relationship between the parents and systemic challenges.

Therefore, joint custody will not be applied in all cases even after the amendment. The decision of whether to adopt joint custody or sole custody will be made from the perspective of the child's best interests.

In the program, in addition to an overview of the joint custody system and its differences from sole custody, we will introduce what kind of discussions are necessary between parents when joint custody is chosen after divorce, such as deciding on the child's schooling and residence.

In the subsequent broadcast in June 2026, based on listener consultations sent to the program regarding joint custody, we will introduce specific advice and share practical perspectives useful in daily life.

Legal experts will deliver easy-to-understand explanations with specific examples of what will change with the legal amendment. Please be sure to tune in to the program.

[Appearance Overview]

Program Name: Radio Tamakawa 'Authense presents Rajitama Legal Consultation'
Program Website: https://www.tfm.co.jp/tamakawa/
Broadcast Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Broadcast Time: Every Thursday 11:30 - 13:00
'Authense presents Rajitama Legal Consultation' Broadcast Time: 12:05 - 12:10
Broadcasting Station: TOKYO FM (80.0MHz) https://www.tfm.co.jp/
Speaker: Attorney Naoko Abe, Authense Law Firm

[Speaker Profile]

Attorney Naoko Abe (Member of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association) https://www.authense.jp/lawyers/lawyer_abe/

Member of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association. Graduated from the Faculty of Law, Soka University, and completed the Soka University Law School. She serves as corporate counsel for real estate companies, temporary staffing agencies, etc., and has handled numerous broad negotiation cases, including involvement in projects for listed companies (Prime Market). She also has an extensive track record in dispute cases, such as labor-management disputes like claims for damages based on employees' breach of non-compete obligations, disputes against directors such as dismissal of directors, and disputes over corporate management control. She also focuses on responding to corporate scandals, including employee embezzlement cases. She excels in litigation and has a reputation for meticulous evidence collection and persistent negotiation.

She also has abundant experience in family cases such as divorce and inheritance. Empathizing with clients' anxiety and distress, she strives for solutions that allow clients to move forward and take a new step. She has also co-authored books and contributed to and supervised numerous media pieces.

Analyzed by AI! What color are Japan's emotions now?

Driven by the desire to be sensitive to emotions, Authense Law Firm analyzes the news and social emotions that the world is interested in 'right now' using AI, and updates its website every 3 hours. What color are your emotions now?