Japan and the U.S. at odds about the Hague Convention on child abduction

"Washington and other governments have long criticized Japan for not signing the Hague Convention on child abduction, urging Tokyo to relieve the plight of foreign nationals who are denied contact with their children by their Japanese former spouses."

"The issue is complicated by the fact that Japanese courts generally avoid involvement in family issues and do not enforce custody agreements even in divorces between Japanese nationals. It is not unusual in Japan for one parent, often the father, to lose all contact with their offspring after a divorce."