RHS: sodaigomi spouse syndrome in Japan

[Taro Toporific]

[Greji]

Been there,done that, got several of the Tee shirts. The advantage is the wife encourages me to go out on the ville get pissed and chase skirts. Keeps me out of the house and jama shinai yo ni!

(did I mention she has the bank book?)

[Taro Toporific]

..the wife encourages me to go out on the ville get pissed and chase skirts. Keeps me out of the house and jama shinai yo ni!(did I mention she has the bank book?)

Damn, she better watch that bankbook better or you'll end up buying me lunch again (thanks). :P

[prolly]

this happens in most countries - in the US, a large amount of divorces happen after retirement, for this very reason.

[Cubed]

[Greji]

Damn, she better watch that bankbook better or you'll end up buying me lunch again (thanks). :P

Aho! Even the best can slip up now and then!

[FG Lurker]

[dingosatemybaby]

[Mulboyne]

Manorama: Japan baby boomers face late-life divorce risk
Newly retired engineer Kotaro Toyohara arrives home for a family celebration after his final day at work, clutching a ring for his wife, Yoko, his head full of plans for the years of leisure ahead. To his shock, Yoko blurts out that she wants a divorce. That was the scenario for one of this season's most popular Japanese television drama series, ''Jukunen Rikon'' or ''Mature Divorce'', reflecting a phenomenon that many commentators fear may balloon as Japan's baby-boom generation heads into old age...With a new law set to come into force in 2007 allowing ex-wives to claim half their husband's pension, domestic media are warning of a possible divorce boom...Now figures are drifting downwards, but many commentators speculate that women -- who initiate the majority of divorces -- are holding out until 2007...more...

[cstaylor]

but on the domestic scene, Japan really does remain a matriarchial society, where the o-jo-sama reigns supreme.

That happens one fight at a time. The husband needs to put his foot down: finances are handled together. No "handing over the paycheck" bullshit, but giving the wife an allowance is also a poor choice IMHO.

[Mulboyne]

[Taro Toporific]

[Mulboyne]

Reuters: Japan retired couples told cruise may sink marriage
Japanese couples who celebrate the husband's retirement with a leisurely cruise or overseas trip may find themselves headed for a divorce court when they get home. Many Japanese men who retire have spent decades living largely apart from their families as they devoted themselves to their jobs -- a recipe for trouble when they decide to take extended trips abroad with their wives. "It is dangerous for couples to suddenly go on overseas trips after the husbands retire," author Sayoko Nishida, who wrote a popular book called "Why Are Retired Husbands Such a Nuisance?" was quoted as telling Kyodo news agency.

Nishida, who runs a school in Tokyo called "Retirement Cram School" to help couples deal with the issue, recommends that couples take one-day bus tours as practice. Others say the real kiss of death for a relationship is a cruise, since couples are stuck together with each other on a ship for days or even weeks. The number of divorces among couples married 20 or more years hit 42,000 in 2004, double what it was in 1985, while the number among those married over 30 years is four times higher, according to Japan's Health Ministry. "What is most important for couples after retirement is communication," Kazumi Taniguchi, editor of a magazine aimed at retiring baby-boomers, was quoted as saying. "Overseas trips and moving abroad without considering this factor ... will only enhance the possibility of divorce."

[Tsuru]

I actually feel sorry for these guys... 40 years they pay for every last fucking thing and when it's finally time to retire he can fuck off.

Mind you, I wouldn't be surprised if the wife gets a fat cheque every month after the dust settles.

[dimwit]

I was reading somewhere (don't ask me for the reference) that they are planning to change the pension rules in 2008 and that wives and husbands will evenly split the pension in the case of divorce (presently, pensions are based on employment earnings which leaves most housewives facing poverty if they divorce) and people are expecting a divorce explosion in 2 years time.

Dimwits Motto: 'Always earn less than your wife'

[Taro Toporific]

[Captain Japan]

A new era of divorce set to begin
Daily Gomiuri

A potential avalanche of divorces is set to occur after April 1, when a new system under the public pension scheme will begin, making a divorcing wife eligible for a maximum of 50 percent of her company employee husband's pension benefits.

Many women in their middle or older years are believed to be waiting for the system to begin before divorcing their husbands, according to analysts.

With the new system to start in less than six months, civic groups have been sponsoring explanatory sessions in many parts of the country. A great majority of attendants have been middle-aged and older women.

In a meeting held in Kawasaki last month, one woman said, "My husband would be certain to refuse a 50-50 split of pension benefits [if we divorced].

"What should I do if I don't get my husband to agree to an equitable split?"

Another woman asked, "So, the wife is eligible [to get part of the husband's pension] if she applies for it within two years after divorce?"

With the system, wives and their husbands, if they divorce on or after April 1, will have the right to have benefits, covering the length of their marriage, from his or her spouse under the employee pension plan (kosei nenkin) partially shifted to the spouse, if an application is made within two years after the divorce. The system will be available also to government employees covered by the mutual aid pension plan (kyosai nenkin.)

If a woman never worked full-time during her marriage, she will be eligible for up to 50 percent of her husband's benefits....more...

[Behan]

I used to do day shifts at an eikaiwa school and I met retired men who didn't seem to know what to do with themselves. I don't know if it's typical of the general population or not but it seems like a lot of them take up heavy drinking with a passion. Some would work up a sweat gardening in the morning, have a shower and lunch, and they proceed to get blitzed.

[Iraira]

I used to do day shifts at an eikaiwa school and I met retired men who didn't seem to know what to do with themselves. I don't know if it's typical of the general population or not but it seems like a lot of them take up heavy drinking with a passion. Some would work up a sweat gardening in the morning, have a shower and lunch, and they proceed to get blitzed.

and this is a problem how?

[Greji]

"....Some would work up a sweat gardening in the morning, have a shower and lunch, and they proceed to get blitzed...."

and this is a problem how?

Sounds like a normal day for my office staff and they're not retired.

[baka tono]

Some would work up a sweat gardening in the morning, have a shower and lunch, and they proceed to get blitzed.

They're jsut doing the same thing they did as a salaryman but without the suit and tie.