PRESS CONFERENCE
Thierry Consigny, Fujiko Goto,
Hiroaki Morita and Masako A. Suzuki
"The Suffering of Parents and Children Left Behind by Divorce"

The speech and Q & A will be in English and Japanese with English interpretation

Like many other countries, Japan is witnessing a sharp rise in international marriages. And the accompanying inevitable rise in international divorces has engendered a heated debate on child custody systems.

Japan customarily awards sole custody of children, typically to the mother. But the country is under intense pressure to change the current sole custody standard to one allowing for joint custody that would be more in line with global legal trends.

At this press conference four panelists will discuss a wide range of topics surrounding this controversial issue. Fujiko Goto is a member of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (Nichibenren) and the Committee on Family Law Legislation. Thierry Consigny is a member of the Assembly for French Overseas Nationals (AFE) for Japan and North Asia. Hiroaki Morita is co-chair of the Japan Joint Custody Association. And Masako A. Suzuki will represent Left Behind Parents Japan.

They will discuss the tendency of Japanese civil courts to deprive one parent of access to a child in cases of divorce with non-specific reasons, parental abductions of children before divorce, limitations on visitation rights granted to noncustodial parents and the trauma some divorced parents face by losing all rights to access their children.

Thierry Consigny, Member of the Assembly for French Overseas Nationals

Fujiko Goto, Lawyer

Hiroaki Morita and Masako A. Suzuki, Left Behind Parents by Devorce.