[originaltext] Japan’s divorce rate rose to a record high last year, reflect

Japan’s divorce rate rose to a record high last year, reflecting an increasing number of middle-aged and older couples who are parting ways.
    The number of divorces rose for a 12th straight year in 2002, according to recently re leased government statistics that provided the latest confirmation that the stigma long associated with breaking up is fading in this country.
    According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, a record 289,836 couples divorced last year, up 1.4 percent from the previous high of 285,911 in 2001.
    Behind the rise is an increasing number of couples who are parting ways after being married for 20 years or more: They accounted for 15.7 percent in 1975. The corresponding figure for newlyweds—married five years or less—fell to 34.4 percent from 49 percent.
    Divorce is no longer seen as a social taboo in harmony-conscious Japan. But that is slowly becoming a thing of the past, a trend some attribute to a weakening of group-oriented values.