Suvendrini Kakuchi

Junko Hamada, 59, is now in her 12th year as an elected member of the city council of Isehara, a sprawling bed town west of Tokyo with an estimated population of 150,000. The former women’s rights activist, married and with three adult children and a grandchild, exudes energy and elegance and talks quietly.

It is said that Japan still cannot decide what kind of country it wants to be and this has manifested itself in the current row over the singing of the national anthem in schools

One couple sees fostering as a means of encouraging the Japanese to be more open about their personal relationships. But sadly, the foster care scenario in Japan has few bright spots.