anyone ever adopt from Japan?

I live in Japan and adoption is very unlikely.

My husband is of Japanese ancestry and the consulate told us that it was never going to happen. We really wanted to adopt from Japan and were sort of persistent. We were finally told that they would "not even adopt out a defective child". They of course meant special needs, but it sounded strange to me.

According to the state department there have been 4-5 adoptions each year out of Japan and they require that one parent be of japanese decent.

Foreigners occasionally DO adopt from Japan. However, it is very difficult, and the person who is most likely to be successful is someone who has been living there for a long time.In Japanese culture, the "blood tie" is extremely important. Many Japanese people simply cannot understand the concept of adopting a child who is not biologically related and giving that person one's last name, inheritance rights, etc. In fact, many people who cannot parent their children will put them into orphanages, but will not allow them to be adopted, especially by foreigners. They tend to assume that anyone who would Adopt a Child who is not biologically related must be doing so for evil purposes.As a result, most of the children in Japanese orphanages are not available for adoption. However, an occasional child does become available.There is a good discussion on the website of the U.S. State Department about the process of adopting from Japan. I would urge you to read it, at [url=http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_406.html]Intercountry Adoption Japan[/url].Sharon

Thanks everyone! I've been out of town and just now got back, so sorry if it seems I've been ignoring you.I knew it sounded too good to be true. I appreciate the info!

Hi there, I know that this original question was posted last month but I wanted to reply (just in case anyone is still checking). We just returned from Japan with our new daughter who is almost two months old and very healthy- we are in love!:love: We had a wonderful facilitator and things went very smoothly. Our stay in country was 2 weeks long. It's true that there are VERY few international adoptions from Japan (45 total last year) and that it takes some doing to figure out the paperwork and visa process over there. There are also very few agencies stateside facilitating Japan adoptions. I believe it's also better if at least one parent is of Japanese descent (though I was born and raised in the U.S.). I just wanted to let you know that, yes adoption from Japan is very much possible. If working with a good agency, the process can be very smooth. I'd be happy to answer any questions. :) Best of luck to you!

We just recently met a couple who had just finalized their adoption of a toddler boy, non special needs, from an orphanage in Japan. The couple have no Japanese ancestry but they had been living in Japan for 2 years I believe (husband worked there) so I think that helped. They said the adoption process was a bit hard to figure out, but went smoothly. Their son was absolutely adorable.

HI, we are a couple from Utah wanting to adopt from Japan, we travel there a few times a year for my husbands work and love the people, culture etc. I just wanted to know if you could tell me if it would be better to go through an agency or get a lawyer? Any info would help, I hear it is also difficult to adopt there, is that also true? - Thanks

Hello there! Fist, sorry if this is a duplicate-- I hit a wierd button and I don't know if it sent or deleted the reply I was writing... Anyway, my husband and I are very interested in adopting from Japan. My sister lives there, is married to a Japanes man, and they have three great kids, so adding to our family this way would be a perfect fit. We are almost done with our homestudy here in the states, but there is quite a dirth of information about Japanese adoptions! If you have time, I would love to hear which agency you used, the approximate costs, and timeframe, and any other recommendtions you have. And congratulations on both your adoptions!! --Beth

Hi Beth, I think it's great that you are thinking about adopting from Japan. Our agency does prefer that at least one parent is of Japanese descent, but it is not required. Costs are about the same as Kaz (I know very little about costs for other country programs)- about 40k total after travel expenses, in-country stay, etc. Of course, the total costs will depend on whether or not you adopt independently or with an agency, though I highly recommend an agency. We were so happy to have our awesome facilitator with us on our trip- it's priceless to have that support. We love our agency who brought two beautiful, wonderful daughters to our family. I will PM you with our agency's name and contact info. Please feel free to ask me any additional questions. :-) Best of luck to you on your adoption journey!!