Provisional Minutes of the 37th Meeting of the Family Law Subcommittee of the
Legislative Council (provisional translation)
On January 30, 2024, the 37th meeting of the Family Law Subcommittee of the
Legislative Council was held at the Ministry of Justice (in person and online). Nearly all
the members and non-voting members attended the meeting. The Chairman, Prof.
OMURAAtsushi, presided over the meeting.
The Subcommittee held discussions on the revised draft of the proposed outline for the
review of the family law (the meeting materials) presented at the meeting, which was
prepared based on the discussions at the 35th and 36th meetings. Also, with regard to the
additional resolution proposed by some members at the previous meeting, there was a
discussion regarding the draft resolution (reference materials) presented by the secretariat.
During the discussion, it was pointed out that, for example, the clause "a child should be
treated with dignity and respect" in Article 1-1 (1) of the revised draft of the proposed
outline should be understood to include the interpretation that the child's view should be
adequately respected, and that if the bill is passed, efforts should be made to make the
proposed outline known to the public.
Second, the Chairman confirmed attendance of 22 members, besides himself, at the
meeting; hence votes were cast to approve the proposed outline and adopt the additional
resolution, respectively.
With respect to the proposed outline, 1 member abstained from voting, so 21 members,
except the chairman and the abstainer, voted. Although 3 members voted against approval,
the majority of members voted in support of it; thus, it was decided to use the meeting
materials as the final draft of the proposed outline for the review of the family law.
With respect to the additional resolution, the 22 members, except the chairman, who
attended the meeting voted. Although 2 members voted against adoption, the majority of
members voted in support of it; thus, it was decided to adopt the additional resolution in
accordance with the reference materials.
In conclusion, the Subcommittee chairman declared that the review and deliberations
by the Family Law Subcommittee of the Legislative Council would end.
The final draft of the proposed outline and additional resolution are to be presented and
deliberated at the general meeting of the Legislative Council.
※(注記)These provisional minutes are the summarized results of the subcommittee meeting and are to be
provided by the Secretariat of the Subcommittee in both Japanese and English on an as-needed
basis. The official meeting minutes (in Japanese) will be published at a later date.