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How Common is Adoption in Japan?

Leroy_Brown

後輩
18 Feb 2005
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I know childless couples in the U.S. who have adopted kids not only from within the U.S. but from Korea, China, Romania, or Russia.

What about childless couples in Japan today? Do they adopt kids or do most of them live with the fact that they won't have any kids?

I can't imagine there would be very many orphanages in Japan since relatives will often take care of kids whose parents have died.

In the old days (up until about the time of WWII) I've heard of a custom where a family with many kids would give a child away to a childless couple (usually a relative or a close friend) to be adopted. I'm sure that's no longer practiced.

Finally, adopting kids from foreign countries would probably not be very welcome socially.

Just wondering.
 
Adoption is still a taboo for most Japanese people, except maybe for adopting a relative's child (if the parents die). I think this has to do with 2 things.

The first is the importance of transmitting one's genes (which I understand, and is only natural), but that leaves people who cannot have children with little choice but adoption or not having children. Usually they will choose the latter one, especially in today's society where an increasing number of (Japanese) women stay single and childless for their career (or to have fun).

The second reason is that many Japanese wouldn't like to adopt a non-ethnic Japanese child from abroad, maybe because it is against the Japanese values of ethnic purity, or maybe also because they know such a child would have a hard time at school, then in life (job, accomodation...) in Japan. Remember that just marrying a foreigner is still taboo is maybe half of the Japanese families, especially in the countryside (maybe only 1/4 in Tokyo, which is still amazingly high compared to my home country).

I have found this article : Japanese Couples' Aversion to Child Adoption Changes Only Slowly
 
And the strange thing is, adoption was a huge part of Japanese culture in the days of old. I specifically remember studying the Tokugawa era, where families without a male to succeed them would adopt.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the reason you don't hear about adoption is b/c of the prevelance of abortion in Japan. You rarely hear about teen pregnancies being a problem b/c abortions are so common. The said thing is the pill was illegal until a few years ago, and I'm going to venture a guess that young kids were probably not educated on the dangers (and long term effects) of abortion. Then again, this is from a country that traditionally doesn't teach safe sex to children.
 
I have never seen a japanese person talk about adoption. Like Maciamo said, it's some what of a taboo. Odd, yes but it does make sense in a sad way. :(
 
To Gaijin,

That could only explain the possible shortage of adoptable children, i.e. orphans.
The percentage of childless couples in Japan couldn't be much different from the U.S. or any other country. I wanted to know what these people did.

Thor,

Yes, but they do have words for adopted kids (youshi=males; youjo=females) so it was more common in the old days but no longer.

BTW, I have a co-worker, a white American in her early 40s, who has an adopted Japanese older sister. I don't know what the circumstances were but I never knew Americans were adopting kids out of Japan as late as 1960.
 
Just kinda along Leroy's example, I know a (white) guy who's grandparents were American Japanese who adopted his mom while living in Hawaii. What was rather interesting was that he had a Japanese middle name. I'm not sure whether his grandparents were longtime Americans or moved over after the war.
 
Wow, that's amazing that a Japanese couple were even allowed to adopt a white girl however back in time that was.

Did that white guy turn out okay? j/k!
 
I was thinking of this so I stumbled in here. It's really weird that u don't see Japanese people with other non-japanese adopted kids...makes me wonder ☝
 
And now we know why thje Aibo is so popular. Since the same company has made a personal robot, I wonder how long before we have 'robot' babies.

We can remember it for you wholesale. :eek:
 
To Gaijin,

That could only explain the possible shortage of adoptable children, i.e. orphans.
The percentage of childless couples in Japan couldn't be much different from the U.S. or any other country. I wanted to know what these people did.

Thor,

Yes, but they do have words for adopted kids (youshi=males; youjo=females) so it was more common in the old days but no longer.

BTW, I have a co-worker, a white American in her early 40s, who has an adopted Japanese older sister. I don't know what the circumstances were but I never knew Americans were adopting kids out of Japan as late as 1960.
My husband was born in Yokohama and adopted by an American couple in 1962.
 
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