Haldanes is committed to continuous professional development, ensuring our lawyers stay at the forefront of family law practice. We were delighted to host an internal CPD session recently, moderated by our Partner Elaine Sum and featuring guest speaker Makiko Mizuuchi, Attorney-at-Law in Japan and California and an International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) Fellow.
Session Overview
The session, titled “Japanese family law overview”, provided the team with practical insights into key areas of Japanese family law and their cross-border implications. Makiko covered the following essential topics:
- Grounds for divorce in Japan
- Matrimonial property division, including the new 50/50 rule and 5-year claim period
- The Hague Convention on international child abduction – practice and enforcement
- The role of prenuptial agreements and their limitations in Japanese practice
- Same-sex marriage litigation and the upcoming Supreme Court ruling in 2027
The session also included discussion of real-world enforcement challenges, with reference to a case study.
A big thank you to Makiko for generously sharing her expertise, and to Elaine for moderating the session. Sessions like these foster helpful discussions and strengthen our capability in handling sophisticated cross-border family law matters.
About our Matrimonial & Family Law practice
Haldanes is widely recognised as a pre-eminent leader in Matrimonial & Family Law by top legal directories and publications, including Asian Legal Business, Benchmark Litigation, Chambers and Partners, China Business Law Journal, Doyle’s Guide, and Legal 500. Our practice excels in navigating intricate, high-stakes matters—from sensitive international child abduction cases under the Hague Convention to complex asset structures, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, and private wealth advisory mandates. Fully supported by our firm’s other specialist teams to provide end-to-end legal solutions across global jurisdictions, our team is also highly sought after beyond the courtroom; we are frequently invited to speak at Greater Bay Area and other China-based events, and remain deeply committed to community service, regularly conducting complimentary divorce law workshops in partnership with the Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres.