A divorce between an international couple often requires not one, but two divorces to ensure that the divorce is final in both of the spouses’ home countries. Simply being divorced in Japan does not carry much meaning if the couple continues to stay married in a foreign country. Therefore, one of the main concerns of foreign nationals who get divorced in Japan is how to make the Japanese divorce effective in their home country.
Naturally, the procedures for this will depend heavily on which country the foreign national is from. In some cases, the foreign national’s local consulate or embassy may be able to provide guidance on how to enforce a Japanese divorce overseas. Depending on the country, contacting the consulate or embassy may be a requirement, or at least highly recommended, before enforcing a divorce in one’s home country. The consulate or embassy officials can sometimes also provide paperwork or necessary documents.
However, in other cases, the consulate or embassy may not have any procedures for accepting or registering divorces in Japan. This is especially true for countries that are organized as Federal Republics, where states or provinces, rather than the federal government, are responsible for marriage and divorce records.
For example, the United States embassy makes it clear that there is no need to report an American’s divorce in Japan to the American consulate or embassy. Instead, Americans who get divorced in Japan should apply to the courts in the state where the marriage occurred or was registered. The local court system should be able to provide information on how to complete the divorce process according to local rules.