Kizuna Child-Parent Reunion

An Italian Case

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A case of an Italian citizen has occurred. He moved with his family from Europe to Japan.
Then, his two children were taken to Nagasaki. His court case begins on January 12, 2017.

日本語テキストは以下の通りです。

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English translation, Japanese translation, and image of Italian news story below.

Online article:
http://www.lastampa.it/2017/01/06/italia/cronache/luomo-che-combatte-la-legge-nipponica-per-rivedere-i-suoi-figli-2xgHMN5GrE7ImR8M5RkswK/pagina.html

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Page 12 | Top News | LA STAMPA Friday 6 January 2017

 

The man that fights Japanese law to see his children again

“My wife took them and the judicial system protects her”

 

 

People

FRANCESCA SFORZA

ROME

 

 

“My dad? I don’t know where he is, nor what he’s doing.” This is what lots of Japanese people are saying once they become adults; after the parents’ separation and divorce, they have no idea where their fathers have gone. But they haven’t been abandoned; it’s the law. Something may change though, and if this is the case, it would also be thanks to the battle of an Italian father, who is fighting to have his rights respected. In case of victory, he could contribute to revolutionize the Japanese Family Law System. In Japan, joint custody does not exist. If a couple divorces, the court will take over the decision of which of the parents will take custody. Apart from some very rare cases, the children end up staying with the mother. On top of this, too often custody ends up being assigned to the parent that takes away the children first, with the result that the other parent loses his rights in that very precise moment. The visitation rights belong to the children and not of the parent. In a culture where the fathers end up spending too much time at work, and the mothers have no interest in keeping the relationship with the in-laws, you can explain well the enormity of the numbers we’re looking at; at least 3 million Japanese children, in the last 20 years, have been raised without being able to see one of their parents.

 

“We have not divorced yet, but I don’t know anything about my children from last July, I couldn’t even say Happy Birthday for my daughter’s second birthday” says Pierluigi, who requested to stay anonymous to avoid creating problems while close to the hearing, that will take place in Nagasaki in mid-January. He, an Italian citizen, and his wife, Japanese, have moved to Tokyo from Germany, the country where their two children were born. “I decided to move here because I know well and love Japan since a long time ago, and I think their educational system is very good. I did it for my children.” However, shortly after relocating, he had been surrounded by his wife’s relatives, who informed him that in order to solve the usual couple-related problems it was necessary to live separately – “If you don’t agree we’ll call the police.” After this, she decided to move near Nagasaki with the children, the city where she is from. “Even though I know so many things about Japan – says Pierluigi – I had never heard about child abductions during marriages. We are still married, and I still have all the rights on my children, but since my wife took them first, if I tried to get them back they would arrest me.” No help even from the Police or the local social services; all of them agree that this is an injustice, but the fact that children cannot see one of their parents is not considered a crime or an abuse.

 

But Pierluigi doesn’t want to stay without his children: “Between us there’s a very strong bond, when we lived together the neighbors often told me “you’re like a mother to them” … I still have a very clear image of my 4 1/2-year-old son, one of the last times that his mother allowed me to see them; he came out of the house bare foot crying and begging me not to leave.” Together with his attorneys, Pierluigi has planned a strategy that is grabbing the attention not only of foreign nationals who lost access to their children, but also of many Japanese parents, who more and more feel this type of forced separation is a violent injustice perpetrated by the legal system. The fact that the Japanese judicial system considers custody-related matters after the end of a marriage as exclusively “private”, has delayed the signing of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (that took place only three years ago and has no retroactive effect). On top of it, this has increased the understanding that the children belong to the mothers and that the father’s role is not relevant in raising a child. “We are in Japan, why should the kids speak Italian” – Pierluigi’s mother-in-law said. Also, “What’s the problem if you don’t see them for one or two years? I raised three kids without my husband.”

 

Many international governments have already pressured Japan to end abductions, and several Japanese politicians are ready to cooperate in order to improve the situation. There are lots of things to plan carefully before the hearing: “You just need to act in the best interest of the children, as it’s specified in the interpretation of article 766 of the Civil Code.” You need knowledge, courage and passion. We ask him if at least he’s a bit angry: “It’s useless, if you enter a Japanese Court angry – he says – you have lost before even beginning.”

 

3 million – It’s the estimated number of children that were raised without seeing one of their parents in the last 20 years.

 

The parents – Victims of the forced separation are not only foreign nationals married with a Japanese person, but also many Japanese parents themselves.

 

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The sequence of events

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Pierluigi (the name is invented) and his wife, decide to move to Tokyo, the Japanese capital city, from Germany where they were living with the two children born during their marriage.

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Shortly after relocating, the wife’s relatives inform Pierluigi that in order to solve the usual couple-related problems, the only solution is to live separately for some time. The woman moves with the two children to Nagasaki, where her family originates. In July, Pierluigi sees his children for the last time.

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Pierluigi and his wife are still married, but according to the Japanese law, if he tried to get his children back he would be arrested. His is one of the many child abduction cases that in Japan are becoming more and more frequent.

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In mid-January a Family Court will examine Pierluigi’s case. Many Japanese and foreign parents are awaiting this hearing with big hopes. His case could revolutionize the Family Law of Japan.

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