Twelve noncustodial parents from across Japan on Friday filed a liability lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against the central government, demanding a total of ¥12 million in compensation for failure to guarantee parents their constitutional right to raise their children.
The 12 plaintiffs are also seeking the creation of a joint custody system.
Reiko Koga, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, believes the current system is contradictory to each parent's constitutional right to raise his or her children.