Quick Question (Mods del after answered) ^^
 

I originally asked this in the adoption topic, but figured since it was such an old thread, it wouldn't get looked at or overlooked.

From what I understand, adoption outside of family blood lines is pretty much unheard of. I have never heard of an adoption agency in Japan. The only adoptions I have heard of is aunt an taking a nephew or grandparents taking a grandchild in if the parents die, etc. You will not see Japanese children being adopted by overseas families like Chinese, Korean, and children from other Asian countries...and even those are going down.

I meant those who literally have no family. Let's say, the immediate family was all harmed or something, and only the child is left, and there's no one (like blood relatives) around to take the child in. Where would that child go? Are there no orphanages in Japan in general?

Also, for a child who is taken in by an actual blood relative, which is the norm, as you said, no paper work would be involved? Like family registry information, legal guardianship type papers, etc.?

Every time I do a search, seems what comes up are those outside of the country wanting to adopt someone from within the country. I'm curious of specifics involving just the Japanese.

Here's a list. Nerima-ku seems to have two such institutions.

Click "list" on this page.

http://www.zenyokyo.gr.jp/index.htm

Certainly there is paperwork, even for an in-family adoption...probably more than in the US.

Okay, thanks for the information. That's pretty much what I was curious about. Also, thank you Nagoyankee for the link. Time to put my limited Japanese to the test. ^_^

Wish I was better with Kanji. ^^

I'm now curious of something else. Since you mentioned paper work, I wonder if the actual adoption process would take longer compared to people adopting children in the US.

Within a family, no, I am sure it is immediate. However, family trees are tracked very closely, to the proper paperwork would be filed and records would be kept.

I have heard stories of children in Japan that were adopted, but didn't know it until they got married and needed to update their paperwork at the city hall.

You can adopt outside of family, it`s just a difficult process and the laws in place don`t work all that well in the case of true orphans.
Even with children placed in "orphanages", parents/families do not give the child up - they`re just placed "temporarily" in care. It`s my understanding that in order for an adoption to take place the family has to give the child up... And when there is no family, well, that`s a very hard one to pull off.

I know of several people who have managed to adopt in Japan, but it was a long drawn out process. As the children aren`t given up to begin with, it seems that you have to go into it without having any clue whether they ever would be willing to give the child up. In other words, spending lots of time getting to know a child without ever knowing if their parents would be willing to consider letting them be adopted.
You can easily volunteer as an "aunt" or "uncle" at these homes, and sometimes even become a weekend foster parent for children... But when it comes to getting their parents to give them to someone not blood related, things get tricky.

anyone know what happens to the children or infants that are left at the "baby hatches"? (or hatch, as i only know of one)