Author: Paper Boundaries

What are the essentials? Visiting Japan every year is fun. I get to see my daughter’s summer holiday and also catch-up with my old friends. As such, I think that a positive attitude is the first essential. From there, it’s a matter of looking after my mental health and planning to make the most of my downtime. Having a positive attitude When I first started visiting my daughter, I was a broken person. I had been through a messy divorce including domestic violence (which I have documented) and was receiving treatment for acquired mental health conditions. I smiled regularly...

What just happened? 2020 Was a very intense year for many left behind parents and their children. Due to COVID restrictions, I did not get to see my daughter and I probably won’t see her until 2021. This is highly relevant as my daughter is 16 and ‘[Article 4 of] The Convention [states that it] shall cease to apply when the child attains the age of 16 years’. Yep – we’ve all just lost two years of access. Suffice to say, I am devastated. Personally, I’m not looking for loopholes to facilitate access in spite of travel bans. I...

Is this now a feminist blog? No, I’m not a feminist. I support diversity and equality 100% in all facets of life. However, my major area of interest is preventing child abduction. Importantly, my ex-wife abducted our daughter. I cannot ignore the fact that a woman chose to abduct a young lady. Our daughter will be forever shaped by this. As a man, I try my best to see things through the eyes of others. This helps me to understand and better respect their challenges. So, why do women abduct their children in that majority of Japanese parental abduction...

COVID-19 and the Olympics present unprecedented challenges for child access in Japan. 2020 will be a test! Japanese schools are closed indefinitely. People fear that foreigners may give them COVID-19. My country’s government advises that I ‘exercise a high degree of caution’ when considering travel to Japan. Let’s not forget that before all of this, my daughter’s abductors were already playing silly games and claiming she didn’t want to see me. Further, my mum lost her house to the Australian bushfires, which blanketed us with hazardous smoke for 3 months. What can parents do to ensure access despite all...

Why so glum? Firstly, this blog is not about hating on Japan, my ex or women in general. That is a toxic path to walk down. However, I have my moments. For me, ‘access’ moves on a sliding scale and the scale itself often moves. Right now I feel sad. The scale has just moved – the game has just changed. Three years ago I regained limited, heavily obstructed access to my daughter. Two months ago my daughter’s step-dad sent me an e-mail (in Japanese). It said, ‘my daughter does not want to talk to you ever again, please...