Seeking to regain custody of a daughter he hasn't seen in years, an American father called on the Tokyo Family Court on Thursday to stop "endorsing child abduction" by parents and demonstrate that it is capable of prioritizing the best interests of children.
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Paul Toland is suing the mother of his Japanese ex-wife for refusing to let him see his 12-year-old daughter ever since the wife committed suicide in 2007 after taking away the child four years earlier due to a failed marriage.
Japan joined the Hague Convention on cross-border parental child kidnapping in 2014. But since the abduction was not cross-border — Toland's family was based in Yokohama at the time it occurred — his case is not covered by the pact, which also doesn't work retroactively.