Dozens of children,including at least 89 with Australian parents,have been abducted in Japan by one parent under a century-old law.
The Australian government has launched an unprecedented intervention in Japan’s domestic politics.
The number of Australian children abducted in Japan has jumped by almost 10 per cent in the past year.
Parents of abducted children say Japan’s proposed changes do not go far enough.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said they wanted children to be reunited with their Australian families.
In Japan,Australian parents live with the daily fear of their partner taking their children. The Australian government has stepped up its campaign for Japan to reform its family law system.
Documents released under freedom of information laws highlight tensions on one of the most sensitive diplomatic disputes between the two nations.
Victims say the pain the Japanese system causes children “is beyond the description” as they call on G7 leaders to escalate pressure on Tokyo.
Canberra has encouraged Tokyo to introduce shared parenting after The Age,The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes reported that at least 82 Australian children had been abducted by their Japanese parent since 2004.
Prominent Japanese politicians have labelled the country’s sole custody system an embarrassment and appealed to Australia to raise the issue publicly in Japan.
The mother is the only Australian parent known to have won the child abduction race under Japan’s sole custody system,while a Canadian father sailed 1000 kilometres to see his kids during pandemic lockdowns.