Kizuna Child-Parent Reunion

養育態勢が悪化、子の返還命令「撤回」…最高裁

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2017年12月28日 10時08分

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国外に連れ去られた子の扱いを定めたハーグ条約に基づき、父がいる米国に子を返すよう命じて確定した裁判所の決定について、最高裁第１小法廷（山口厚裁判長）は２１日付で、確定後に父の養育態勢が悪化したことを理由に返還を命じない決定をした。

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同条約の実施法は、子の返還命令が裁判所で確定しても、事情の変化が生じた場合には、裁判所に申し立てて命令を変更できると規定。外務省によると、同条約が日本で発効した２０１４年４月以降、今回が同法の規定に基づく初の申し立てだった。

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決定などによると、両親は６～１１歳の子４人と米国で暮らしていたが、１４年７月、母が４人を連れて日本に入国。父は家裁に子の返還を申し立て、１６年１月に４人を米国に返すよう命じる決定が大阪高裁で確定した。だが、その後、父が生活に窮し、母が返還命令の変更を申し立てた。

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English translation

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Parental condition became worse, order to return children rescinded ... Supreme Court

Based on the Hague Convention, which stipulates the treatment of children who were taken abroad, the Supreme Court's first small court (Judge Atsushi Yamaguchi) decided on December 21st regarding the [Osaka High] Court's decision to order the return of the children to the US where their father is located, I made a decision not to order the return due to the deterioration of the father's childrearing situation after the [OHC] decision.

The [Japanese] implementation law of the Convention stipulates that even if the order of return of the children is confirmed by the court, in the event of a change in circumstances, the court can allege that the order can be changed. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since April 2014 when the Convention came into force in Japan, this time was the first complaint under the provisions of the law.

According to the decision, the parents lived in the United States with four children aged 6 to 11 years, but in July 2014, the mother entered Japan with the four children. Their father requested the court to return the children, and the decision to order the four children to return to the United States in January 2016 was finalized by the Osaka High Court. However, after that their father was struggling in life, and their mother made a motion to change the order to return.

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