JAPAN: Reno under the Mulberries

The Japanese were trying another short cut to Westernization. The “life consultation offices” of Tokyo’s police stations were crowded as never before with unhappy couples seeking divorce.

Mrs. Shidzue Kato, the most prominent of Japan’s 38 new women Diet members, called the trend “wonderful.” A divorcee herself, she said: “Japanese women are now getting away from the subservient idea of hanging onto a man whether they like him or not. In all civilized nations, divorce rates are high.”

If neither party contests, divorce in Tokyo is now easier than in Reno. If there is a contest, the odds favor the husband. He can win divorce by presenting evidence of his wife’s adultery. A wronged wife’s adultery evidence is insufficient to win her freedom.