The Japanese government has recently made public the new design for its divorce forms, now featuring four slots for legal guardians post-divorce. Traditionally, divorce paperwork in Japan only had one field for the "person with parental authority". This revision aims to better reflect the realities of modern families and promote balanced child rearing after divorce, possibly allowing for joint custody, a concept not well implemented as of yet in Japanese law.

In Japan, the issue of single custody after divorce has long been controversial, with many arguing it doesn't align with the complex realities of modern family structures. The announcement of four parental rights slots on the divorce form has sparked significant debate regarding the potential shift towards joint custody, a departure from the norm of exclusive parental rights typically given to one parent.

This contrasts with practices in the US or Europe, where the concept of joint custody is common, and typically the preferred approach, allowing both parents to share legal and physical custody of their children post-divorce.