Parliamentary meeting held: "The necessity of a joint custody system in Japan following the ratification of the Hague Convention"

Date and time: March 14, 2012 (Wednesday) 14:00-16:00
venueHouse of Councillors Members' Office BuildingB1F Room 104
Theme: "The Necessity of a Joint Custody System in Japan Following the Ratification of the Hague Convention"
Participation fee: 1,000 yen (for materials)

Contents———————————————————————————————–
1. Keynote speech: "Family Law for Whom?"
Colin P.A. Jones (Professor, Doshisha University Law School) [Lecture will be in Japanese]
2. Case Report: "As a Person Living in Canada"
Mary Wood (International Rights of Children Society) [Simultaneous interpretation will be provided]
*This person will be coming from Canada for a meeting within the hospital.
3. Voices of parents who cannot see their children
4. Question and Answer Session *Content may be subject to change.
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For this in-house meeting, we are pleased to have Colin P.A. Jones, a leading expert on parental rights, as our keynote speaker. Furthermore, Marie Wood from the International Rights of Children Society (IROCS) in Canada will be traveling to Japan specifically for this meeting. IROCS has been working in Canada for over six years to provide redress for international child abduction cases. Ms. Wood will share her insights from the field in Canada regarding the Hague Convention and joint custody.

Furthermore, more than 40 "parents who cannot see their children" (Japanese and foreign) are expected to attend this in-hospital meeting. We will explain the worries and challenges they face after separation from their spouse or divorce, due to Japan's system of sole custody and sole guardianship after divorce. We encourage everyone to attend this in-hospital meeting.

Sponsored by
Left Behind Parents Japan (LBPJ)
ASIAN PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY (APFS), a specified non-profit organization.