A Daily Publication of the Asia Pacific Media Network. Mieko Yoshihama is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan's School of Social Work. Co-founder of the Domestic Violence Action and Research Group in Japan, she has conducted research on the issue in Japan and the United States. Domestic violence tends not to be reported in Japan, but data on divorce and homicides, and independent research all show that it is common.
Physical violence is the second most common reason for wives to seek a divorce.
Murder by a partner accounts for a third of deaths of women in Japan. Men inflict violence if they perceive women to have diverged from an acceptable norm. Domestic violence should have more recognition in Japan, and should be dealt with as a criminal offense. The problem seems to stem from the notion that women are owned by their husbands. Uma A. Segal is a faculty member of the Department of Social Work, University of Missouri St. Louis.