From 1 Million Yen to 200 Thousand Smartphone Divorce Mediation Is Transforming a Slow Analog Judiciary
Still using fax, divorce mediation is too slow
Could the time be coming when divorce procedures can be completed with just a single smartphone? ODR (online dispute resolution) is widely used in Europe and the United States, where divorce rates are high, and now Japan has finally seen the emergence of a smartphone-based mediation service specializing in divorce. It is wakai for Divorce, provided by the legal tech startup Wakai Inc.
There is no need to go to court; under the guidance of professionals such as lawyers who serve as mediators, everything from filing to drafting the agreement can be handled online. Since the parties do not have to meet face-to-face, the psychological burden is reduced. Compared to court mediation, both time and costs can be significantly lowered. It is a service that allows anyone who has decided to divorce to easily complete legal procedures, and when it was featured on an information program in March, the number of daily accesses reportedly reached 100 times the usual level.
“It’s pointless to spend money and time on disputes and conflict. For your own sake and for your children, I want people to choose a divorce process that allows smooth agreement.”
So says Reimon Matoba (46), president of Wakai Inc. This is also advice from someone who has experienced divorce mediation firsthand.
Mr. Matoba founded DDR Inc., the predecessor of Wakai Inc., in November 2024. Following a partial amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure in March of the following year that enabled the onlineization of mediation systems, the company obtained ADR (alternative dispute resolution) certification from the Ministry of Justice in April of the same year. This established a framework to provide “out-of-court dispute resolution procedures” as a private ADR institution.
“To apply for ADR certification, we created the company and rapidly prepared about 100 pages of documents, including terms of use, system operations, security structures, and a business plan through 2030. We began offering ‘wakai for Divorce’ exactly one year after founding the company, in November 2025. The reason we moved so quickly was that, through my own divorce mediation, I strongly felt the need to break open the analog nature of the judicial process.”
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s 2024 vital statistics, there were about 186,000 divorces in Japan. About 87% are uncontested divorces reached through mutual agreement between spouses, while about 8% are divorce mediations filed with family courts. Mr. Matoba initially chose an uncontested divorce as well.
“As of 2023, we had almost reached an agreement through discussions. Then suddenly, the other party said they wanted to proceed with the divorce through a lawyer. Since they left with the children, I had no choice but to use family court mediation. That was in March 2024.
Of course, it was my first time going through a divorce, and I had no knowledge. Since we had already prepared a divorce agreement, I naively thought we could quickly reach an agreement once the other side reviewed it. However, the first meeting proposed by the court was two months later. When I tried to contact my children, the other party’s lawyer said, ‘You cannot see the children until an agreement is reached.’
In the end, no agreement was reached in the first mediation, and when I asked about the next session, it was again two months later. This was repeated many times. It’s a world where scheduling between the lawyer and two mediators is difficult, or judges are on summer vacation in July, so the next mediation is routinely set one to two months later based on the judiciary’s convenience. Communication with lawyers is still done by fax. Frustration with the inconvenience and anxiety over the prolonged mediation pushed my stress to the limit.”
A new business born of the pain of not being able to see one’s children
Delays in the IT and digital transformation of the judiciary, lack of transparency in legal fees, the complexity and prolongation of procedures, and the significant time and psychological burden that come with them—Mr. Matoba experienced firsthand the problems of the domestic relations mediation system.
“I originally built my career in consulting and systems-related companies, so I had the idea that a fully online mediation service might be possible and decided to look into it. I found that similar services already existed, but they were not well known. If awareness increased, this service would definitely be needed. With that conviction, I decided to launch it myself.
My biggest motivation was how long divorce mediation took and the prolonged period during which I couldn’t see my children. It was painful for me, but the biggest victims were the children. If there had been a private online mediation service using smartphones, discussions and negotiations could have progressed more smoothly, and I believe I could have seen my children sooner.”
Among developed countries, Japan has a very high poverty rate among single-mother households, and one major factor is said to be the non-payment of child support. He also said he was motivated by a desire to reduce the number of such households, even if only slightly.
“There are said to be about 800,000 single mothers not receiving child support, accounting for roughly 70% of single-mother households. About half of them are in poverty, living on an annual income of around 2 million yen.
A common reason is that, at the time of divorce, discussions were difficult and no agreement was made regarding child support. With online mediation, people can engage in discussions without facing the other party, providing a sense of security, and it is also possible to create legally valid agreements and, if necessary, convert them into forms with enforceability.
I thought this could reduce the number of people who suffer in silence or struggle with unpaid child support. That belief also became a source of motivation.”
On April 1, the revised Civil Code came into effect. This significantly changes the rules regarding parental authority and child support after divorce. In addition to the previous system of “sole custody,” where only one parent is granted parental authority, it is now possible to choose “joint custody,” where both parents share it. At the same time, as a measure against non-payment of child support, a “statutory child support” system has been introduced, allowing a provisional claim of 20,000 yen per child per month even if no agreement on child support was made at the time of divorce.
The purpose of the legal revision is to “ensure the best interests of the child even after the parents divorce.” How does Mr. Matoba view these revisions regarding parental authority and child support?
“The starting point of discussions toward divorce has certainly shifted from ‘which parent will have custody’ to ‘whether to choose joint custody or sole custody.’ However, that doesn’t necessarily mean disputes over custody will decrease with the introduction of joint custody.
At the same time, there are concerns from those involved that ‘they may continue to suffer from domestic violence or harassment even after divorce.’ Issues such as false claims of DV and refusal of visitation due to parental alienation have also been pointed out. Simply introducing joint custody will not change situations where children are left out.
As for statutory child support, 20,000 yen is far from sufficient. However, the fact that this revision allows a provisional claim for a certain amount of child support even if no agreement was made at the time of divorce is a step forward.
With the revised law now in effect, we’ve been receiving inquiries from people who have not been receiving child support after divorce, asking whether they can use ‘wakai for Divorce’ to mediate and secure payments. We are currently working on responding to that need.”
Minimum 1 month! The whole picture of mobile mediation
① Register an account on your smartphone. A personal online mediation portal is automatically created.
② Select your preferences by answering questions regarding parental rights, child support, etc. Filing is completed.
③ A neutral mediator—an automatically assigned lawyer—organizes and clarifies the issues.
④ Mediation is conducted via Zoom with the mediator present.
⑤ After an agreement is reached, an electronic signature is made. Divorce mediation is completed.
Court-based divorce mediation is held once every one to two months, only during weekday daytime hours. From filing to completion, it takes an average of 7.6 months.
“With the current mediation system, you have to fill out several documents to file. With ‘wakai for Divorce,’ you only need to select options in an input form, so filing can be done in about 30 minutes.
Also, this service allows mediation during weekday evenings and on weekends. It is conducted online two or three times, taking about two to three months. If things go smoothly, it can be completed in as little as one month.”
The total cost is 198,000 yen, consisting of the filing fee (33,000 yen), one mediation session (66,000 yen), and the agreement completion fee (99,000 yen).
“The cost of court-based divorce mediation is said to range from 500,000 to 1,000,000 yen, including consultation fees, retainer fees, success fees, and expenses. In my own case, it cost nearly 2,000,000 yen, including lawyer retainers and success fees.”
Mr. Matoba emphasizes that the biggest advantages of using “wakai for Divorce” are its efficiency in both time and cost.
“Due to financial and time constraints, as well as a lack of information and knowledge, many people are unable to exercise their rightful claims and are forced to endure difficulties after divorce. I want to create a society where people who have gone through divorce can restart their lives positively. I hope smartphone-based mediation can become a platform for that.”
Interview and text： Sayuri Saito