We held a Christmas candlelit performance.

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December 22nd: Christmas Candle Act
United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Germany, China, Japan,
Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar
Parents from 11 countries who cannot see their children protested in front of the Ministry of Justice!
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APFS will begin in August of this year,
We provide support to foreign fathers and mothers who are unable to see their own children.
This time, Left Behind Parents Japan (a group of individuals mainly of European/American and Japanese descent) and
In collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, we held a "Christmas Candlelight Act" in front of the Ministry of Justice as follows:

[Date] Thursday, December 22, 2011, 16:00-17:40
[Location] In front of the Ministry of Justice
[Content] ● We submitted a policy statement to Ministry of Justice officials and made requests.
●In front of the Ministry of Justice, those involved lit candles and shared their thoughts and feelings about their children.
We appealed for amendments to related laws.
[Summary of Policy Recommendations]
1. Joint custody (Ensure that both the father and mother can be involved in raising the child after divorce)
2. Enforcement (If the judiciary decides that a parent should see their child, a mechanism is needed to enforce this rule on the custodial parent.)
3. Visitation rights (Guarantee all parents the right to see their children)
4. Guaranteeing the residence status of foreign parents who cannot see their children.
5. Domestic violence (Please establish guidelines for restoring parental rights and custody.)
[Organizer]
Left Behind Parents Japan (LBPJ)
ASIAN PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY (APFS), a specified non-profit organization.

United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Spain, China, Japan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar,
25 parents from 11 countries who are unable to see their children gathered in front of the Ministry of Justice.
First, I handed the policy recommendations directly to the person in charge at the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice and read the entire text aloud in both Japanese and English.
The official from the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice promised that they would definitely consider this policy recommendation.
Following the policy recommendations, we held a candle-lighting event to raise awareness.
The pain of not being able to spend Christmas with my own children, and gratitude for being able to act together with friends from many different countries.
Various topics were discussed, including the need for legal reform.

APFS will continue to support foreign fathers and mothers who are unable to see their children.
We would appreciate your continued support and cooperation.

The policy recommendations submitted to the Ministry of Justice can be viewed below.
Policy recommendations in Japanese
Policy Statement (English)