References for “Adoption in Japan” panel

こども家庭庁 [Children and Families Agency]. (2024). 社会的養育の推進に向けて [Advances in social protective care for children]. Retrieved from https://www.cfa.go.jp/assets/contents/node/basic_page/field_ref_resources/8aba23f3-abb8-4f95-8202-f0fd487fbe16/6dc5801e/20240614_policies_shakaiteki-yougo_98.pdf

Brasor, P. (2018, August 4). Japan’s rigid koseki system keeps it all in the family. The Japan Times. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20190917010744/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/08/04/national/media-national/japans-rigid-koseki-system-keeps-family/#.XYAx53bP1qY

Bryant, T. L. (1990). Sons and Lovers: Adoption in Japan. The American Journal of Comparative Law, 38(2), 299. https://doi.org/10.2307/840102

Civil Code – English – Japanese Law Translation. (2017). Japanese Law Translation. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3494/en

CRNJapan. (2009, June 25). Koseki. CRNJapan. Retrieved from https://archive.ph/20130102111111/http://www.crnjapan.com/japan-law/koseki.html

Fujisawa, M. (2022, May 26). Japan’s same-sex couples hope to foster children, but prejudice remains barrier. Mainichi Daily News. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220526/p2a/00m/0na/022000c

Goldfarb, K. E. (2019) “Beyond blood ties: Intimate kinships in Japanese foster and adoptive care.” In Alexy, A. & Cook, E. (Eds.), Intimate Japan: Ethnographies of closeness and conflict (pp. 181-198). University of Hawaii Press.

Goldfarb, K. E. (2025). Fragile kinships: Child welfare and well-being in Japan. Cornell University Press.

Goodman, R. (1998). A child in time: Changing adoption and fostering in Japan. In Hendry, J. (Ed.), Interpreting Japanese society: Anthropological approaches (2nd ed., pp. 145–163). Routledge.

Hayes, P., & Toshie Habu. (2006). Adoption in Japan: Comparing Policies for Children in Need. Routledge.

Hertog, E. (2009). Tough choices: Bearing an illegitimate child in contemporary Japan. Stanford University Press.

Human Rights Watch. (2014). Without dreams: Children in alternative care in Japan. https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/05/01/without-dreams/children-alternative-care-japan

Japan. (n.d.). Travel.state.gov. Retrieved March 9, 2026, from https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Japan.html

Jones, C. P. A. (2016, June 22). Japan’s koseki system: dull, uncaring but terribly efficient. The Japan Times. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20160625174945/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2016/06/22/issues/japans-koseki-system-dull-uncaring-terribly-efficient/

King, M. R. (2021). Child guidance centres in Japan: Alternative care, social work, and the family. Routledge.

Koseki: Understanding Japan’s Family Register System & Registration. (2025). E-Housing. https://e-housing.jp/post/koseki-understanding-japans-family-register-system-and-registration

Lebra, T. S. (1989). Adoption among the Hereditary Elite of Japan: Status Preservation through Mobility. Ethnology, 28(3), 185. https://doi.org/10.2307/3773511

Martin, A. K. T. (2021, December 25). Child adoption slowly gains ground in Japan, though prospective parents still face obstacles. The Japan Times. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2021/12/25/lifestyle/adoption-japan/

Moore, R. A. (1970). Adoption and samurai mobility in Tokugawa Japan. The Journal of Asian Studies, 29(3), 617–632. https://doi.org/10.2307/2943247

Morgan, J. (2019). Kikuta Noboru and adoption law in Japan. 麗澤大学紀要 [Reitaku University Bulletin], 102, pp. 35-44.

Nakatani, Y. (2025). Ishii, Juji. Encyclopedia of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.1610

Okawara, R. (2024, February 22). FEATURE: New families sought for children with disabilities via adoption. Japan Wire by KYODO NEWS. https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/46103

Sato, M. Male same-sex couple won’t give up on dream of foster parenting. (2022, October 13). The Asahi Shimbun. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14519627

United Nations General Assembly. (2009). Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. Resolution A/RES/64/142. Retrieved March 9, 2026, from https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/673583?ln=en