Interesting that this has come up since I had pulled one slightly old write-up on this matter from THE DAIILY YOMIURI that I have in my collection, and had intended to use info from it in the 'Divorce' thread.
I had planned on posting that last night, but didn't get around to it and, unfortunately, do not have that page with me at the office. I'll have to wait until I get home tonight. The article was exactly about cases of especially Japanese women married to non-Japanese men who, in/after divorce practically adbucted the children. The Japanese governement has not signed the Geneva something something, so foreign courts/governments have no control.
There is a site given that is said to have more than 100 (I'll give the exact number later) names--mostly men--who are trying to get some way to at least get visitation rights. There was one case reported on where after some great length of time and court battling, one Chinese-American man got the Japanese version of visitation rights--once a year. (and the article went on to say that the ex-wife filed claiming that was even too much.)
In short, in Japan, the Japanese national gets the heavy, upper-hand in child custody. For that very reason, when my first marriage went down the tubes, I didn't make any effort at all--regardless of how cold it may have seemed to those on the American side who didn't understand cultural norms here--to get custody or visitation rights at all. I met my biological daughter when she became curious at 20, and the mother seemed to have said, "OK, you're old enough now to do what you want."
I'll get back tonight !! MM
