Sources of law In Japan, the primary source of law in relation to marriage, marital breakdown and the welfare of children is statutory law. The main statute is the Civil Code. Part IV (Articles 725 to 881) provides laws regarding relatives including marriage, divorce, parent and child, parental authority, and guardianship. The Child Welfare Act mainly considers the responsibilities of the national and local governments (administratively, Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, and -hose prefectures are divided into further administrative areas). Statutes in Japanese are available at the e-Gov website (https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0100/). Although there are no official English translations of Japanese laws, unofficial translations are available at the Japanese Law Translation website (www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp), which is operated by the Ministry of Justice. Court system Family-related disputes are heard by family courts. While child custody adjudication proceedings are in private, divorce litigation cases are held in public court. Decisions can be challenged at one of eight regional high courts and then at the Supreme Court for the second review. The Guide to the Family Court of Japan, published by the Supreme Court, gives a  Jurisdiction