A U.S.-based Nicaraguan who fought a legal battle with his Japanese ex-wife over custody of their 9-year-old daughter has called on the government to revise the judicial system, saying the lack of power to enforce court rulings is hindering the resolution of such disputes.
Following a drawn-out legal conflict in both U.S. and Japanese courts, the 43-year-old mother last week agreed to return the girl to her father within 30 days, under a plea agreement reached in a court in Milwaukee. The names of the three have been withheld on privacy grounds.
After the plea deal, the father, a permanent resident in the United States, said in an interview he believes the extremely lengthy court proceedings in Japan may have prompted U.S. law enforcement authorities to arrest his former wife on a felony charge in Hawaii in April.