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Can my Japanese wife legally demand money from me?

Myeong

Registered
14 Apr 2017
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Hi everyone,

This may not be the best place to ask, but I just want to hear some other people's thoughts about this.
Also, I'm not here for marriage counseling, so please don't start about that.

I want to divorce from my wife.
Long story short, she does many irresponsible things, mainly with money.
We came to many disagreements and I'm pretty fed up with it.Basically, she created many debts which I am mostly all paying right now.

We've actually talked about divorce in the past (don't ask why), but at the time she said that before we would divorce, she wants me to zero everything out (as in, paying the debts).

Clearly, I don't want to pay the debts (reasons explained below).
I don't care if she will divorce or not (even though she's better off if we do divorce).

My question is, can she legally demand money from me if I refuse to pay?

My/our situation:
- Perhaps the most important part,
I'm not financially bound to Japan in the sense that I am no citizen of Japan, nor do i have a Visa.
Essentially, I'm just a tourist. We did try to get a VISA, but never completed it, mainly due to above reasons.

- Aside from our marriage papers, I have never signed any contracts or financial agreements (which I think is even impossible as a non-resident); everything is on my wife's name.

- Very important to note, she has 3 kids from a previous marriage.
HOWEVER, these kids are not bound to my name. This has to do with my age. Basically, my wife is a few years older then me, and because the kids were born before I was 18, I legally couldn't be changed to their father (something that might very well come in handy now)

- In the past 2 years, I have paid over 6.000.000 Yen for our family, while she hardly paid anything.


Seeing this situation, would it be possible for her to legally demand money from me?
Would she have any success if she would take it to court?

By the way, it will not influence my decision of divorcing her.
I will be returning to my home country in any case.

Thank you in advance.
 
You're married to a Japanese and are living in Japan right now, is that correct?
But you don't have a visa of any kind, just a tourist status, right?

How long do you have before you must return to your home country?

You don't want marriage advice. Fine. My financial advice is pretty much the same as marriage advice, so take it or leave it. Get a lawyer to answer these questions instead of anonymous posters on a forum. You won't regret it. All you'll get here is random advice from people who don't know you well and who may not be qualified to give good advice on this very serious matter. Talk to a professional.
 
Totally agree with Glenski. If you're serious about wanting a divorce, you need to talk to a lawyer.

What we may think is fair is immaterial in the eyes of the law, cover your ***.
 
Thanks for your replies. Very understandable, and I fully agree.

Mind that I'm not asking for advice, just for thoughts.
I have already decided that I want a divorce, no matter the consequences.
 
Sorry to hear things aren't going well for you at this point in your life.

However, about your question ... you're on a tourist visa and clearly on your way out, right? So does it really matter if she does / can demand money? Reading between the lines it seems unlikely she would engage a lawyer in your next country to enforce a judgment in this country even if she got such a judgement here.

Hope it all works out for you both.
 
I was kind enough to respond. Please be considerate enough to answer my simple questions. Not doing so really pisses people off.
You're married to a Japanese and are living in Japan right now, is that correct?
But you don't have a visa of any kind, just a tourist status, right?
How long do you have before you must return to your home country?

As for our advice vs. "thoughts", it ends up being the same thing.
 
Keep in mind that you might have to talk to a few lawyers before finding one who will advocate for your best interests.

My friend met a woman from China online, brought her to the US, and married her. Within a year, it was obvious that she was just in it for the green card and whatever money she could grab along the way. When he went to a lawyer to start the divorce, the lawyer immediately started talking about long-term financial support. My friend went to another lawyer, and that one was all about kicking her to the curb with whatever she brought from China.
 
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