[/floatr]Christian Science Monitor: In Japan, foster parents blaze an unpopular trailThe government is taking small steps to boost interest. But prejudices remain in a society where the pull of traditional family structures and blood ties is strong.
Yoko Sakamoto remembers well the prejudice she faced as a foster mother. She and her husband, Koichi, who were childless, decided to expand their family by welcoming foster children. But when their first son had major problems in elementary school, the criticism started. Some parents whispered about the different family names. One waited for the boy after school and slapped him for the "nuisance" he caused. Even Mrs. Sakamoto's own parents criticized the decision. "We were facing a fierce storm of discrimination," she says. When the Sakamotos let their son skip school because of stress, officials removed him, sending him to institutional care. But the couple didn't give up. Today, their home in this quiet Tokyo suburb reverberates with the energy of five children, ages 4 to 15. And the government is looking for more people like them. Promoting foster parenting has not been easy in Japan, a country where blood ties and traditional family structures are paramount. But in recent years, a home setting has begun to trump institutional care in officials' views of what's best for children who face abuse or abandonment...But with only 7,882 registered foster families across the country, there's need for more people to consider the option...Advocates say that what is missing is a comprehensive approach. The aid that exists is a "patchwork response," says Yusho Kagami, a director of a children's nursing home..."I would say the essential problem is that Japanese society is now incompetent to raise children"...more...
