Parents denied visitation rights in Japan to keep fighting gov't in court japantoday.com

posted by  AkihabaraBot | 5 years, 7 months ago

Lawyers for parents separated from their children in Japan said on Monday they would appeal a court decision that the government was not responsible for enforcing visitation rights.
Parental alienation is a chronic problem in Japan, with children often losing contact with the non-custodial parent after an acrimonious split.
Unlike most developed countries, Japan has no joint-custody system after divorce, and court-ordered visitation rights are often ignored with impunity.
The plaintiffs had claimed the parents' lack of access to their children was a clear violation of the U.N. treaty on children's rights, which Japan ratified in 1994.
In the ruling on Friday, presiding Tokyo District Court judge Tatsuro Maezawa said the U.N. treaty was "merely an agreement to respect" those rights, but had no binding power.