Regarding the Feb. 15 article "LDP gets behind the Hague Convention": Good for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for pushing Japan into the Hague Convention. Unfortunately his act of courage comes too late for many American fathers whose ex-wives took advantage of Japan's exempt status and kidnapped children. These men were deprived of priceless years of parenting time.
My firm has represented fathers in many international child abduction cases over the years and has won awards from the Hague for our efforts. All too often, the motive for such kidnappings is revenge, outrage or a pathological attachment to the child.
Japan, however, has often proved a legal stumbling block for us. Japan's failure to adhere to the Hague Convention is indeed, as President Barack Obama noted, a violation of human rights.
Every child deserves to know both parents, provided that both are responsible, and cutting off a child's relationship with half the family for personal convenience is both selfish and morally wrong.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.