[Effective April 2026] The Words My Husband Threw at Me on the Very Day the Law Changed -- "Divorce Doesn't End It: The Day Joint Custody Begins" Depicting the Reality of Families Shaken by the Popular "Joint Custody" - To Be Released July 1, 2026 (Wed)!

KADOKAWA Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Takeshi Natsuno) will publish "Divorce Doesn't End It: The Day Joint Custody Begins" (Author: Akiko Tōya) on July 1, 2026 (Wed).

This work is a semi-fictional comic essay that depicts the conflict between a husband who wants joint custody and a wife who wants sole custody, set against the backdrop of joint custody, which was just enacted in April 2026. It is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide, Amazon, Rakuten Books, and more.

"I want joint custody. I'm her father too." -- That night, the system changed.

Kaoru, feeling she had reached her limit with her earnest and logical husband, decided to divorce him, taking their 4-year-old daughter with her.

On the very night she finally decided to fill out the divorce papers, her husband suddenly declared, "I want joint custody. I'm her father too." -- It was the exact day joint custody was to be enacted.

Even when the system changes, people's feelings don't easily resolve. The story realistically portrays the weight of "continuing to be involved with someone you don't want to be with," and the internal conflict of wavering between the logical argument of "for the child's sake" and one's own emotions.

Key Points of This Work

Timeliness: Depicting the reality of "Joint Custody Enactment" on April 1, 2026

This semi-fiction portrays with overwhelming realism the ripples that legal reform creates in individual families, especially at the scene of divorce, which cannot be seen through news reports alone.

Empathy for "Emotional Friction" Suffocated by Logic

This is a story that sympathizes with the distrust towards an ex-spouse and the unresolved adult emotions that cannot be dismissed with the platitude, "It's better for the child to have two parents."

Includes a Discussion Column with Supervising Lawyer Yui Yanagihara at the End

Carrying the resonance of the story, the book includes a discussion and commentary column that delves into the essence of joint custody. It also offers practical value by answering readers' real-life questions such as, "Do we have to decide everything together?" and "What about cases of DV or emotional abuse?"

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Divorce Papers

Chapter 2: Joint Custody

Chapter 3: Someone Help Me

Chapter 4: The Husband's Case

Chapter 5: Parent and Child

Chapter 6: My Feelings

Final Chapter: Each Decision

Epilogue

Column

Author Profile

Akiko Tōya

Winner of the 15th New Comic Essay Puchi Award. She writes manga depicting the conflicts that occur between mothers and children based on her own experiences. Her previous works include "Me Obsessed with Success: Junior High School Entrance Exams Among Mothers" and "My Daughter Told Me She Wants to Die: The Reason for Her School Refusal" (published by KADOKAWA).

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Bibliographic Information

"Divorce Doesn't End It: The Day Joint Custody Begins"

Author: Akiko Tōya

Price: ¥1,650 (¥1,500 + tax)

Release Date: July 1, 2026 (Wed)

Format: A5

Pages: 160

ISBN: 978-4-04-660386-9

Publisher: KADOKAWA Corporation

KADOKAWA Official Bibliography Details Page >>