Towards a Society Where No Child Becomes a 'Child Who Cannot Meet Their Parent'

"Do not let a couple's separation become a parent-child separation."
We will realize a society where parent-child relationships are respected in diverse forms even after divorce, and children can safely continue to build relationships with both parents.

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

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

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

In Japan, there are many cases where children lose contact with one parent after divorce. In 2023, there were approximately 180,000 divorces. About half of these involved families 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 "children who want to meet their parents but cannot" are created due to the influence of systems and judicial operations.

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

Why I Do This: As a Separated Parent

I am a parent who cannot meet my children. In 2021, I separated from my ex-husband with his consent, taking our children with me. While in the process of facilitating interaction between the children and their father from the perspective of being their parent, he refused to return the children (so-called 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 see my beloved children for two years.

Through this experience, I strongly felt that this is not an individual problem, but a social problem that has arisen due to the system and its operation.

"I can't meet them because I don't have parental authority," "I won't let them meet because we've separated." I feel that it is a major issue from the perspective of children's rights that children are cut off from their parents due to adult convenience or deficiencies in the current system. Children inherently have the right to build relationships with both parents.

I grew up in a temple family and am also a Buddhist priest. I have lived with the value of "contributing to society" since childhood, and in an environment where someone's death is commonplace, I have always felt that death is always close by.

That's why I think, "It's not 'someday,' it's 'now.'"

I am sometimes told, "When your children grow up, they will come to see you." But it is not a given that I will live that long, or that my children will grow up healthy and we will be reunited.

That's why 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.
At the same time, I cannot overlook the reality that there are parents suffering in the same way, and children who cannot meet their parents. Therefore, I will continue to raise this issue to society.

Actions Towards Realizing the Dream: Delivering Voices Through SNS and Nationwide Tours

To make this dream a reality, I am dedicating all my efforts to the following activities:

• SNS Communication and Awareness:
  Through TikTok (38,000 followers) and X, I aim to raise awareness of this issue among parenting generations beyond those directly affected, and to reduce the number of future victims.

• Lobbying Politics:
  I continue to visit members of the National Diet and local assembly members to advocate for the effective implementation of systems such as the introduction of joint custody.

• Nationwide Tours and Petition Activities:
  I plan to visit all 47 prefectures nationwide to conduct surveys on the actual situation of parent-child interaction after divorce and to collect signatures to change the situation.

The Society I Want to Realize: A Society That Protects the Best Interests of Children

The society I want to realize is one where no child cries wanting to see a parent, and no parent suffers from not being able to see their child.

Instead of "it's natural for separated parents and children not to meet after divorce," children can naturally meet both parents with smiles, and even if parents remarry, children can naturally continue to build relationships with their biological father or mother, grandparents, and relatives.

A society where parent-child relationships are not severed due to adult convenience or system deficiencies, but where society as a whole considers "what is best for the child" and can protect children's rights. That is the future I want to realize.

To that end, I will continue to share my experiences with society.