Towards a Society Where "Parents and Children Who Cannot Meet" Are Not Created

"Do not let the separation of spouses become the separation of parents and children."
We aim to realize a society where parent-child relationships are respected in various forms even after divorce, and children can safely continue to build relationships with both parents.

Our company supports April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day to express dreams.

This press release is the dream of Haruka Katsuyama, CEO of posiddy Inc.

Current Issue: "Parent-Child Estrangement" Hidden by the System

In Japan, there are many cases where children cannot meet one parent after divorce. In 2023, there were approximately 180,000 divorces. About half of these involved households with minor children. (According to "Demographic Statistics" by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

However, arrangements for parent-child interaction (visitation) are often insufficient, and the reality is that "parents and children who want to meet cannot" due to the influence of the system and judicial operations.

The introduction of a joint custody system is planned from April 2026, but simply having the system in place does not guarantee that parent-child relationships will be adequately protected. In Japan today, there is a social structure where parent-child relationships may not be protected due to the nature of the system and its operations.

Why I Do This: As a Separated Parent Myself

I am a person who cannot meet my children. In 2021, I separated from my ex-husband with his consent, taking our children. While facilitating interaction with their father from the perspective of being their parent, he refused to return the children (a so-called "child abduction"), and I was forcibly made a separated parent. Even after mediation and court proceedings, the situation has not changed, and I have not been able to meet my beloved children for two years.

Through this experience, I strongly felt that this is not an individual problem, but a social issue with aspects caused by the system and its operations.

"Cannot meet because there is no parental authority," "Will not allow meeting because we separated." I feel that the severance of a child's relationship with a parent due to such adult circumstances or deficiencies in the current system is a major issue from the perspective of children's rights. Children inherently have the right to build relationships with both parents.

I grew up in a temple family and also hold a Buddhist priest's license myself. Living with the value of "contributing to society" since childhood, and in an environment where someone's death was a daily occurrence, I have always felt death to be right next to me.

That is why I think: it's not "someday," but "now."

Sometimes I am told, "Your children will come to see you when they grow up." However, it is not a given that I will live that long, or that my children will grow up healthy and we will be able to reunite.

Therefore, I wish for a society where parent-child time is protected not only in the future when children grow up, but also at this very moment. Keywords: April Dream, April Dream, April Dream2026, Divorce, Parental Authority, Joint Custody, Visitation