Adoption in Japan

[Genkii]

I had a funny conversation with a japanese penpal. We talked about visa and she suggested to adopt me lol (she is in her fourties or something)

She said Japanese adopt adults to keep their family name alive. She didn't know if it was possible to adopt a gaijin though so I asked her to find out. I asked another japanese women this story and she said adoption is not common in Japan at all.

I'm just curious if this is even possible and what sort of visa would I get? Do I have to give up my passport? lol

Just want to know if this is theoretically possible.

[Genkii]

Theoretically it's possible. But your visa has nothing to do with that. Adult adoption doesn't mean you'll become her kid. It means you'll become an adopted son-in-law (mukoyoshi) of her parents. So, the marriage will have to take place anyway. That's why all this adoption crap is weird. She could easily marry you and sponsor (or her parents could) your spouse visa. Obviously she has another agenda. Originally adult adoption was created in Edo time to escape divisions of fields. Nowdays it still sometimes serves for business purposes in high class families with no male heir. Sometimes it's used by gays who wants to become a family in the country with no gay marriages law. Or some silly girls want the crazy stuff like to play with not just a gaijin hubby but with an adopted son-in-law of the Jifey's parents. Think about if a divorce takes place- you still won't be able to get away from the adoption. You are already her parents' adopted son-in-law. You can't re-adopt yourself out of her family. Enjoy.

They have a very old proverb here- konuka san-go areba, mukoyoshi to naruna (while you have even three go* of rice-bran left, do not become a mukoyoshi).

Excuse me for being clueless, but what is exactly so bad about this? You can't re-adopt yourself out of her family. Does this mean you loose your own family name and keep her family name forever? What happens to your passport? Do you get japanese nationality and loose your own nationality?

If you are a adopted son-in-law you are legally required to support the whole family financially? Or what is so bad about this?

Just curious to know I never heard of this "adopted son in law" before.

[mishima1970]

How do I get adopted into the Imperial family.