doting husbands support group, in JAPAN of all places???!!!

TOKYO (Reuters) - A group of Japanese men hoping to encourage the nation's legions of workaholic husbands to head home early and show their wives some appreciation have proclaimed Tuesday "Beloved Wives Day." The group, which calls itself the "Japan Doting Husbands Association," urged men to get home by 8 p.m. and say thanks to their wives for all they do.

"Many men can't put their feelings of gratitude toward their wives into words. Work is number one for them," the non-profit group says on its Website, http://www.aisaika.org "This attitude is putting Japanese marriages under great pressure." Statistics bear this out. Japan's divorce rate has risen steadily over the years. In 2004, more than one in three marriages ended in divorce.

The group urges men to improve the marital mood through five "golden rules" including going home early, calling wives by their given name and looking them in the eyes when talking. Many Japanese husbands call their wives "you" rather than addressing them by name, or in some cases merely grunt.

The group's homepage includes a column where husbands can write down feelings they are too shy to say out loud. "I'm sorry I had a car accident. I'm sorry I'm away so much on business trips. I'm sorry I end up sleeping at the office so often," said one from a man in Kanagawa, near to Tokyo. "Thank you for loving me just the same."
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I sometimes ask married male students if they properly thank their wives for good food, taking care of finances, and so on. Some do; other's don't. At times I tell them it might be a keen idea to surprise their wife with a single rose, small surprise gift or something to show her their appreciation. For most women, just a little thing like flowers, a slice of nice cake, or even a haiku on a card will count...and if it doesn't, it could be he married the wrong woman!

Some women in their silver years are getting their own sweet revenge. After decades of playing the dutiful and submissive wife (largely ignored or not appreciated by the hubby), the year or two after her husband retires and has a fat pension fund, she'll drop him like a hot coal. Due to a new spanking law soon to be enacted (from 2007), he'll be legally obligated to pay her half his pension after the divorce. OUCH, how's that for a "wake up call?"