Ted Talk

2016

Dr Jennifer Harman

Parental Alienation / Gender Stereotypes

Ted Talk

2020

Susan Shofer

When Your Ex Turns Your Child Against You

Cases of parental abduction to and within Japan in most situations are followed with a campeign of paretnal alienation by the abducting parent upon their own child.

Parental alienation describes a process through which a child becomes estranged from a parent as the result of psychological manipulation by the other parent. Most cases of parental child abduction to and within Japan involving parental alienation include false allegations of domestic violence. The child and the targeted alienated parent both become victims of the alienating parent. The effects upon the child are deeply harmful.

Unfortunately, parental alienation in Japan unlike in many other countries is not seen as a crime and is not investigated by family courts in Japan. The effects of parental alienation in Japan are severe and comlete. As the left behind parent has no means of access at all to their child, or for the Japanese law to enforce any access (it is left to the decision of the alienating parent) there is no way to limit, reduce or prevent the alienation from happening.

Alienating parents seem to have little regard to the extreme negative lifelong effects their actions have upon their own child. Parental alienation enflicts severe mental pain and trauma upon the child that is victim to this. Helping to understand parental alienation, why it happens, who does it and its effects - a number of Ted Talks and research notes on the wider issue (not Japan specific) are provided below.

2012 Australian TV Documentary:

Harrowing and insightful documentay highlighting the issues in Japan of international parental child abductions, kidnapping and parental alienation to and within Japan.

Why is Japan allowing this to happen

Japan is doing little to solve this issue

Documentary made pre Japan signing the Hague Convention in 2014. Since signing the Hague Convention, little has changed. These same problems still exist. Japan has a poor record of stalling Hague Convention cases, not enforcing Hague Convention cases, processing Hague Cases as "resolved" when time has dropped the case off the system and the child has not been returned or reunited with their left behind parent.

The children in this documentary have still not been reunited with their parents.

Why is Japan allowing this to happen

Japan is doing little to solve this issue

International Pressure on Japan is needed. The governments of countries around the world need to act together to protect their children and citizens from being abducted to and within Japan.

Governments around the world need to make clear to Japan that this is not acceptable.

2013 Documentary:

Detailing the struggle of international parents and children that have become the victims of parental child abductions, kidnappings and parental alienation to and within Japan.

Why is Japan allowing this to happen

Japan is doing little to solve this issue

Documentary made pre Japan signing the Hague Convention in 2014. Since signing the Hague Convention, little has changed. These same problems still exist. Japan has a poor record of stalling Hague Convention cases, not enforcing Hague Convention cases, processing Hague Cases as "resolved" when time has dropped the case off the system and the child has not been returned or reunited with their left behind parent.

Despite the efforts of the USA Law Makers, Senate and Scretary of State at the time, Hillary Clinton becoming involved and raising the issue. Japan remains evasive.

Why is Japan allowing this to happen

Japan is doing little to solve this issue

International Pressure on Japan is needed. The governments of countries around the world need to act together to protect their children and citizens from being abducted to and within Japan.

Governments around the world need to make clear to Japan that this is not acceptable.

Sayonara Baby

From The Shadows

2020 YouTuber Documentary:

Japan based YouTube documentor "Nobita from Japan" outlines the pressing  issues of parental child abductions, kidnapping and parental alienation of children both to and within Japan.

Why is Japan still allowing this to happen

Japan is still doing little to solve this issue

- Children are still suffering

- Children are not being reunited with their left behind parent

- Japan is not acting in good faith

- Japan is still encouraging parental abductions of children

- Japan does not recognise joint custody or the rights of the child and their left behind parent to have contact with eachother

- Japan is not fulfilling its responsibilities and comitments to United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which it became signatory to in 1994.

- Despite becoming signatory to the Hague Convention in 2014, little has changed. Abducted children to or within Japan are not being returned home

- The number and frequency of child abductions to and withing Japan is increasing year on year, this is an issue that will not be resolved until Japan changes its policies and stop allowing and facilitating abductions.

Japan's Child Abductions

Testimony Of Two Left Behind Parents To E.U Council

February 2020:

Getting Europe to act. Japan residents Vincent Fichot (a French citizen) and Tommaso Perina (Italian) presented a petition to the European Union's legislative assembly in Brussels, requesting sanctions as a countermeasure against cases of parental child abduction affecting Europeans living in Japan.

Other governments around the world must also take this issue as seriouysly as the E.U to protect their children and citizens.

Britain especially, despite knowing about these issues for over 10 years has not yet acted.

Japan will not change without international pressure. Britain must act.

Britain and other countires must uphold the values of childrens rights and make it clear to Japan that their actions of allowing and facilitating child abductions, parental alienation is not acceptable.

Japan Child Abduction French TV Documentary (English Subtitles)

2019 French Documentary:

Documentary following and highlighting the struggles of a French parent with international joint custody rights trying to find their child after they were abducted to Japan

Battling to overcome the effects of parental alienation and trying to find their abducted child in Japan, this is an excellent documentary filled with emotion and frustration and uncovering in detail the problem of Japan's sole custody law, lack of family laws to protect children, Japan's abuse of internationally upheld laws and how Japan's current system allows, encourages and enforces international child abductions.

May 5th Is Childrens Day In Japan

2020 YouTube Short by Japan Children Rights:

Touching and emotional YouTube short by Japan Children Rights highlighting the issue of Japan's parental child abduction issues.

Hitting home particularly is the scale of the problem of parental abductions and aliention in Japan - not just affecting internatrional parents and children but also the hundreds of thousands of Japanese parents and children who are suffering every day being denied a loving relationship with eachother under Japan's system of sole custody, poor family law, non upholding of the Hague Convention, circumventing the rights of children under UNCRC and allowing children to be abused by their abducting parent.

Canadian Symposium For Parental Alienation Syndrome

2016

Dr Amy Baker

Adult Children Of Parental Alienation Syndrome

European Parliament Hearing On International Child Abduction Of European Children To And Within Japan

February 2020 - Full Video of E.U Parliamentary Hearing on Japan Child Abduction:

Full hearing & testimony to E.U concil by European parents who's children have been parentally abducted to or within Japan. Their testimony not only describes their own cases but highlights the issue and reality that left behind parents and child victims parentally abducted children to or within Japan face. Japan's non compliance with international law, child return treaties, UNCRC, Vienna Convention, as well as the Japanese state's own complicity in facilitating parental child abduction.

Press Conference In Japan Demanding Joint Custody

June 2021 - Left Behind Parents Discuss The Child Abduction Situation In Japan

Five Left Behind Parents present their case and situation of how their children were abducted in Japan along with their efforts to regain contact with their children. They outline their experience with Japan's legal system and how it serves to not only facilitate but also encourages child abduction. The parents call for much needed change in Japan to help prevent children falling victim to abduction. An audicence Q&A session is also included towards at end of the conference.

BBC News Report

August 2021 - Tokyo 2020: A Parent's Plea In The Shadow Of The Olympics

A BBC News report on the issue of parental child abduction in Japan, following the Hunger Strike of a left behind French parent. The report not only highlights this parents actions over many years to try to gain access to their children after they were abducted in Japan, but also highlights the wider situation in Japan of parental child abductions and forced seperation among not only international Japanese children and parents but also of children born to both Japanese parents.

US Congress' Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission The Rights of Parents & Children: How to Better Implement The Goldman Act on Child Abduction

September 2021 - US Congress Discusses International Parental Child Abductions:

US Congressional hearing involving left behind parents testimonies of child parental abduction victims to Japan. With a focus on Japan's lack of compliance, US senator Smith urges the State Department to take bolder action to help bring home American children abducted overseas and implement stronger tools - including sanctions to help resolve the child abduction issues in Japan and reunify left behind parents with their children.

article link: https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=409670

BREAKING NEWS

US Congress Foreign Relations Comittee Chairman

September 2021 - US Congress' Foreign Relations Comittee Chairman, Mr Mendez Informs New US Ambassador To Japan, Mr Emmanuel, On Japan's Child Abduction Issue & To Make Solving This Issue A Priority.

Official cases highlight more than 475 US children have been kidnapped to Japan and the US has named Japan a top-three worst offender of international parental child abduction.

article link: http://www.bachome.org/news

Two Left Behind Parents Go On Hunger Strike In Japan To End Child Abductions

May 2022 - An American & Japanese Parent On Hunger Strike Outside Japan's Diet Building In Tokyo

Hundreds of left behind parents and supporters continue to show up to show support and solidarity that Japan needs to change it's current system that leads to and perpetuates parental child abductions and child victims unable to be reunited with their left behind parent, and to highlight to the world that action needs to be taken politically to help Japan change. Candle lit vigils and live music have been attended by parents, children, students and those seeking much needed change Japan's system and by left behind parents as a way to show and send their love and heart felt messages to their abducted children.

January 2022 - Press Conference

May 2022 - Hunger Strike

American seeks sanctions against Japan if children aren't returned under the Hague Convention

"Seeking the return of children" Jack Stone and Hiroki Koike

2022 Australian TV Documentary:

Australian award-winning international documentary series, Dateline, investigates Japan's controversial sole custody system that's snared 82 officially recognised cases of Australian children in parental abduction and custody cases.

Over 10 years on since "Sayonara Baby" documentry, little has changed. Our governments must put pressure on Japan to change and recognise the rights of our children.

Abducted In Japan:

Japan's Controversial Sole Custoday System

JAPAN PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION:

DOCUMENTARIES, FILMS, TV COVERAGE

2023 Australian TV Documentary:

Australian TV current affairs documentary maker, 60 Minutes reporting on Japan's Parental Child Abduction issue following the heartaches and endless searches of left behind parents trying desperately to find and reconnect with their children that have been abducted to or within Japan. Despite interpol notices of missing children being issued in some parents cases for their children, these have been ignored by Japanese authorities.

Kidnapped In Japan:

The Bizzare Law That Makes Kidnapping Legal in Japan

2023 Australian TV News Story:

"it's a living nightmare". 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"

ABC News (Australia):

Japan's Custody Laws Criticised For Incentivising Child

Abduction

BBC - The One Show: Japan Child Abduction

2009 Segment

BBC - The One Show - Segment covering Japan Child Abduction and inerview with Shane Clarke, a British parent of two kidnapped and alienated children to Japan in 2008.

Filmed pre Japan signing the Hague Convention in 2014, the segment gives hope that things may change once Japan signs the Hague Convention. However, Since signing the Hague Convention in 2014, little has changed. These same problems still exist. Japan has a poor record of stalling Hague Convention cases, not enforcing Hague Convention cases, processing Hague Cases as "resolved" when time has dropped the case off the system and the child has not been returned or reunited with their left behind parent.

Parental Child Abduction to Or Within Japan is not a new issue ...

... it has continued for decades without any meaningful improvement

Borders Less Asia

Dark Side Of Japan: Parental Child Kidnappings & Divorce (Interview With Victim)

Due to Japan's controversial custody laws, child abductions by Japanese spouses have made international headlines over the years.

ABC News In-Depth

Japan Set To Allow Joint Custody But Some Parents Hold Little Hope Of Seeing Their Children Again

In Japan, thousands of children are cut off from their mum or dad every year thanks to a system that grants only one parent full control during a custody dispute.