Japan's sole custody laws have been criticised for incentivising child abduction, but the system may be about to change

Jul 21 (MSN) - Japan is an outlier among wealthy nations in not recognising joint custody, where both parents can spend time with their children after a break-up.

Rather, the legal system will grant full control and responsibility to the parent who was last taking care of the child, stating it's in the child's best interest to stay at their "usual place of residence".

These laws have been criticised as incentivising child abduction, as a parent can secretly relocate their child or children and then claim custody when the courts become involved.

There are no official statistics on the number of children abducted or estranged through sole custody arrangements in Japan.

However, non-profit organisation Kizuna Child-Parent Reunion estimated in 2010 that 150,000 children lose contact with their non-custodial parent each year.

At least 82 Australian children have been abducted or otherwise taken into custody by a sole Japanese parent since 2004.

Currently, the Australian embassy is aiding 15 affected parents in matters concerning 22 children. ...continue reading

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