Flats as a temporary ‘coronavirus divorce’ to stressed couples in Japan

 

A Tokyo-based short-term rental firm launched a new service aiming to help couples avoid a “coronavirus divorce”.

The concept is simple: renting 500-plus accommodation units across the country as “temporary shelters” for those wishing to escape home – plus a free 30-minute divorce consultation with a legal expert thrown in for good measure.

The service, which costs from 4,400 yen a day, coincides with Japan’s growing coronavirus crisis.

The government expanded a state of emergency on Thursday to include the entire nation, which is expected to increase the numbers of people working from home, a still-uncommon concept for many Japanese companies.

A culture of long working hours combined with stagnant gender stereotypes in the home and small living spaces are factors likely to amplify the challenges of self-isolation in Japan, with the hashtag “coronadivorce” trending in Japan for weeks.

Lawyers and registrars in China’s Hubei province – the first worldwide to go into lockdown – reported increases in divorce numbers after quarantine measures ended, posing a warning for couples elsewhere.

Read more via The Telegraph