Father’s Day is a holiday that celebrates the bond between child and parent. For most of us, that bond is considered to be sacrosanct, and even if a mother and father separate, no one expects one of them to give up their rights and responsibilities to their child. That’s not the case in every country, though. Here in Japan, as a matter of fact, a divorce results in one parent retaining all rights to the children. The noncustodial parent is left with little or no recourse under the law to see their kids. It is a sad situation, not only because many Japanese parents are unwillingly separated from their kids, but also because it is making Japan a haven for international abductions.

This Father’s Day, I joined a protest held by the Japan branch of the group Left Behind Parents. The informal theme of the rally was “Fatherless Day,” as many of the participants were fathers who have been prevented from seeing their children by the outdated and unfair custody laws. We marched for about an hour through the busy streets of Shibuya, one of the most popular shopping districts in Tokyo, and despite our relatively small group, we garnered a lot of attention from both media and passersby. As we marched, we shared the Left Behind Parents’ main complaints.

Domestically, they would like to see laws for divorce and child custody lchanged. Legally, joint custody does not exist here. In the event of a divorce, custody goes to one parent who then has complete control over the child. They do not have to allow for visitation. They do not have to consult with the other parent when making decisions, large or small. They do not even have to inform the other parent if they take the child and move away. There is nothing a noncustodial parent can do to insure access to their child.

The practice of giving all rights to one parent is particularly problematic because the system is strongly biased against fathers and non-Japanese. Custody almost always goes to the mother or to the Japanese parent in the case of international marriages, regardless of his or her financial situation or ability to care for a child.

In one case, the court granted custody of a little girl to the Japanese mother in spite of the fact that she had already abandoned one child with severe disabilities and was not working. The father, meanwhile, was caring for the abandoned child, owned his own business and was willing to relocate to the U.S. to obtain better medical care. The court also allowed the mother to move her daughter to a remote island, making it even harder for the father to see his daughter.

On an international level, the Left Behind Parents would like to see Japan become a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Because Japan is not currently a signatory, Japanese parents living abroad can simply return to Japan with their children if a custody ruling goes against them. The Japanese government is under no obligation to, and will not, return the child to their previous country of residence. Once in Japan, the jurisdiction of the case will fall to the Japanese courts regardless of whether there is an arrest warrant for the Japanese parent issued by another country, or even by Interpol. And in thousands of such contested cases, the custody has never been awarded to the non-Japanese parent.

It’s always hard to define success when it comes to protest marches. Certainly, Japan’s legal system and international commitments are not going to suddenly change just because of one small group of people holding signs and chanting slogans, but at the same time, if we made a few more people aware of the situation, if we have garnered a few more supporters, then we’ve made progress. Eventually it will be enough to force real change. So in honor of Father’s Day, think about the cruel situation these parents find themselves in and take a moment to share your support.

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Another case

My teacher showed me another case in Metropolis again. I don't really know about him, however I just know that he's a father of a girl, although he is NOT the custodial parent. I plan to contact him someday.
In this blog, I want to hear many stories of child custody, and try to solve it. I know i am still 11 years old but I hope i can help some cases. Please write some comments, and please recommend my blog.

A family should be a happy family

An article from The Daily Yomiuri dated 2 March, written by Keiko Kosaka ,reads;

• In 2008, 250,000 couples got divorced in Japan, this is an average of 1 divorce every 2 minutes;
• More than 140,000 of these couples had children, leaving more than 240,000 children, who are in the middle of their divorced parents.
• In Japan, one parent is usually given sole(exclusive/the only one)child custody rights, and the other parent who may want to visit the child, will ask permission for visitation rights.
• A Tokyo-based group, The Shared Child Custody Rights Movement Network is trying to help these problems. They believe that both parents should have access to their child/children even after their marriage falls apart.
• According to the group's co-chair Mr. Mitsuru Munakata,"under the sole custody rights system, a non custodial parent is denied the right to know what's happening to his/her child."

Interviews I have done for my exhibition

*I went to Okazaki in Aichi Prefecture for an interview with Craig Morrey and Spencer. I plan to take many actions for Spencer(like this blog!) so many people will know his story. I want many people to know about him, and one day he can go to America when Japan's child custody laws are better.
*I went to Chuo University in Ochanomizu to do an Interview with a child custody lawyer, Professor Hirohito Suzuki. I got many interesting information.

Why did I choose Child custody?

I have an exhibition. Our topic is sharing the planet. Since sharing the planet is a big topic, we broke it down into human rights, peace and conflict, sharing finite resources, communities and relationships, rights and responsibilities, and equal opportunities. Then we made our central idea which is "Decisions we make impact our communities". At the start, I was thinking to do racism, but all of those plans changed when I read the article about Craig Morrey in Metropolis(read the story of Spencer and Morrey at my post "Let's be friends"). My teacher and I thought that this is not sharing the planet. And I tried to connect it with our central idea, and I wondered how the laws can directly impact our community. That is why I decided to do laws and my subtopic is child custody.

Let's be friends

This is my new friend, Spencer Morrey, he will be 4 years old in September. Spencer has a sister, her name is Amelia. She is _ years old. Spencer's Dad is Craig Morrey, he's 40 yearsold.

On any normal day, you, would usually find kids like Spencer and Amelia playing in the park, running around, Mom or Dad would be watching over them, but not Spencer, because he is very sick. Spencer was born with "catastrophic brain damage and diagnosed with severe palsy." He can't take care of himself, so his Dad takes care of him on a full time basis.

Since Mr. Morrey takes care of Spencer full time it means he can't work, and has to rely on donations to cover Spencer's medical expenses and daily needs.

Japan has many laws to keep it's society in order, but I was jut wondering why my new friend, Spencer can't receive the best medical care possible. Why does he have to "suffer" the quite "slow" process of determining who gets to be his custodial parent. In the meantime, Spencer and maybe other kids like him, is "left" waiting for the Japan courts to decide on his fate.

I want to help my new friend, I want to keep his story alive because I think he's the best hero for other kids too.
Read his story, meet his Dad and sister, learn from them. We can support Spencer through http://www.foreveryourfather.com/.

What is Child Custody?

“Child custody is a term, usually used in family courts, to define guardianship of a child under the age of 18. During a divorce or marriage annulment, the issue of child custody is a matter that the court has to decide.”

They say that in most cases, parents continue to share legal child custody, but only one parent gains physical custody (where the parent has the right to live with the child, and to care for that child on a day to day basis).

“Family courts generally decide on the best interests of the child, BUT not always on the best reasons of the parent”

Greetings

Hello my name is Leena and I am a fifth grader. This blog contains information and stories about my topic, Child Custody. I hope after you read this blog, you will understand child custody and take action for the better. Enjoy!