"Unlike most developed countries, which place the majority of children who are abused, neglected, or can’t live with their parents for other reasons in foster homes, Japan puts more than 80% of the 38,000 such children in residential-care facilities, according to government figures," says this article from Reuters. About one in seven of those children will remain in residential care for a decade, according to the article. The Japanese government is now working to improve the situation of these children and build up the foster care and adoption systems in the country. The article tells the story of one young woman who grew up in an institution in Japan and explores the negative impacts of institutionalization and family separation on children.
