Page:A handbook of modern Japan (IA handbookofmodern01clem).pdf/240

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
180
A HANDBOOK OF MODERN JAPAN

evidence of a marriage having taken place." And here is where some Japanese Christians make an unfortunate and sometimes serious mistake, in thinking that the ceremony by a minister of the gospel is sufficient and registration is a matter of convenience. Without registration a marriage is not legal.

The right of marriage is not free, except to the head of a family.[1] All other persons, whatever their ages, can marry only with the consent of the head of his or her family. Men under 30 and women under 25 cannot marry without the consent of the parents; and minors in some cases must obtain the consent of the guardian or even of a family council.

In Art. 790 it is stipulated that "a husband and wife are mutually bound to support one another." A husband manages the property of his wife, unless he is unable to do so, when she manages it herself. "With regard to daily household matters, a wife is regarded as her husband's agent."

There are two ways of effecting divorce: either by arrangement, which is effected in a similar way to marriage—that is, by simply having the registration of marriage cancelled—or by judicial divorce, which may be granted on several grounds specified in the Code. But divorce by arrangement cannot be effected by persons under 25 years of age, without consent of the person or persons by whose consent

  1. ↑ The word "family" is here and hereinafter used in a technical sense, peculiar to Japan, of a group of the same surname. In Old Japan the family was the social unit.
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.