The Japanese government broke its silence on the case of a Japanese woman murdered by her ex-husband in Hungary. Japan’s Foreign Minister defended the actions of the Japanese Embassy in Hungary, which helped lead to the woman’s death. Meanwhile, Hungary is moving to address the growing outcry over the crime.
As we wrote earlier this week, the woman, a 43-year-old Japanese national living in Budapest, was found dead in her burned-out apartment on January 29th. She had accused her ex-husband of domestic violence and intimidation. Both the Hungarian police and the Japanese Embassy ignored her petitions.
Will this case raise questions over joint custody law?
Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi made the government’s first public comment on the case, reports NHK. He said the Japanese Embassy in Hungary first received a domestic violence complaint from the woman three years ago. The Embassy urged her to file a complaint with police.
Hungarian police refused to act. Last summer, the woman went to the Embassy to secure new passports for her kids. Her ex-husband held the kids’ passports to prevent her from leaving the country with them. Embassy officials told her that she would need to obtain her ex-husband’s consent as a parent with joint custody. The Embassy came to this decision despite the previous domestic violence report.
Iwaya expressed his regret over the incident. However, he added, “The Embassy provided the necessary support when the domestic violence complaint was filed, given the individual circumstances and desires involved.” That statement is drawing criticism online from victim’s advocates, who are lambasting the Embassy and the Japanese government for failing to protect the woman.
The case is likely to re-ignite the debate around joint custody in Japan. The country, long a single-custody nation, approved joint custody for the first time just last year. Before its passage, feminists opposed the law on the grounds it would keep victims of domestic violence trapped by forcing them to cooperate with their abusers. This case seems to bring those worst fears to life.
The case will likely also continue to fuel debate around crimes against women in Japan itself. Women’s rights advocates here have maintained for years – with good evidence – that Japanese police and prosecutors don’t take accusations of rape and molestation seriously. The case of journalist Ito Shiori has cast an international spotlight on this problem in recent years.
Hungary to review past denied domestic violence cases
The case has sparked furious online comments and demonstrations from women in Hungary. The protesters are demanding that police begin taking charges of domestic violence seriously.
A Japanese X account that tracks news from Hungary says that, in a rare move, the right-wing government is taking action. It says it disciplined six officers involved in dismissing the victim’s original DV report. It’s also instituted a nationwide review of all domestic violence complaints rejected in the past year. Further, the police are also reviewing complaints that they previously closed due to a “lack of evidence.”
The move is surprising for Hungary, which, under dictator Viktor Orbán, has seen an erosion of reproductive rights and a sharp rise in misogynistic attacks against women who speak out against the Prime Minister’s government. It seems the backlash has been too stiff for even Orbán’s government to ignore.
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