International   

Husbands turn doting, though late

TOKYO: Mitsutoshi Fukatsu has been with his wife for three decades, but their lives have grown apart. As a busy stationmaster in central Japan, he returned home only to eat, bathe and sleep.

Now with retirement looming, the 56-year-old wants to get to know his wife better. He's helping with chores, calls his wife by her name Setsuko — instead of just grunting — and recently learned a new phrase: ``I love you.''

Mr. Fukatsu was one of a small group of men taking part in Japan's second annual ``Beloved Wives Day'' on Wednesday in hopes of salvaging their marriages by doing something unusual — paying attention to their wives. Last year, a new group for men called the Japan Doting Husbands' Association designated January 31 as a day for husbands to return home at the unusually early hour of 8 p.m., look into their wife's eyes, and say, ``Thank you.''

This year, the first of Japan's postwar baby boom generation will reach 60 and retire, meaning an unprecedented number of men will have to abandon their home-away-from-home — the all-consuming office — and spend more time with their spouses.

There are financial reasons as well. An impending law change that gives housewives a bigger share of their spouse's pension could trigger a surge in divorces among older couples, as women frustrated with years of neglect take the money and run.

Ms. Setsuko Fukatsu appreciates the new attention.

``In the end, the children will leave and have their own families, so the two of us need to live a happy and a healthy life together.'' — AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Alarm over U.S. militancy on Iran
Cabinet strength grows to 108
Ivanov concludes sensitive mission to Iran
Tour hit by safety fears
A Watergate style cover-up?
Malaysia backs Musharraf's W. Asia initiative
Blast hits Sri Lanka tourism
Koirala offer "inadequate"
Husbands turn doting, though late
Suicide bombers kill 45 in Iraq city
Police still looking for leads on Pakistan suicide bombings
Libya seeks India's participation in trans-national oil pipeline

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu