Japan or Parents?

In this current event, they explain how a thirteen year old girl has to choose between living with her parents in the Philippines or staying in her home land in Japan. A man and a woman snuck into Japan from the Philippines in the early 1990s, seeking a better life, they married and had a baby girl. Japanese immigration authorities finally found out in 2006 and arrested the woman. The couple was trying to be sent back to the Philippines, they fought the highest court in Japan to stay there. They unfortunately lost the fight, the daughter however was given the choice to stay in Japan or go with her parents. She has chosen to stay in her homeland (Japan), so she can continue schooling. I feel like the Japanese court system making the parents leave their child is just not right. The girl is only 13 years old, and now will be living with her aunt who is legally allowed to live in Japan due to visa. The parents may be allowed to visit their daughter after a year of living back in the Philippines, however that is still up in the air. The parents will be allowed to move out of the Philippines after five years, when the girl is 18.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/04/13/japan.philippines.calderon/index.html#cnnSTCText

Wow that’s a strange story! How did they get away with it for so many years and just now get caught? It is sad that the system is taking their daughter away from them but I guess if she was given a choice they really can’t hold that against them. Also, if they were there illegally they would have to have known they were going to get caught sooner or later! Wasn’t there something they could do to become legal there? I definitely feel bad for the little girl. That would be a very hard decision to make. Of course you would want to be with your parents but then again you would also want to stay where all your friends, family, known language, and activities are. Maybe the girl can go see them so they don’t have to wait a whole year to visit!

Wow. I can't imagine being that 13 year old girl and having to make that decision. I mean, that is a huge choice. Of course, when I was 13 I probably would've chose to stay in my homeland with my friends too and I probably would've thought "cool now my parents aren't here to tell me what to do." However, at 13 years old no one is mature and responsible enough to make that decision. I also feel extremely bad for her parents, yeah they were wrong to move there illegally and they had to know every day was a chance to get caught, but still. Can you imagine being told you can't see your 13 year old for over a year, maybe more? I can't even imagine being seperated from my child like that. Which is why in a way I feel that the 13 year old should not have been given a choice. I mean, I know she is 13 and has friends and stuff but she basically decided that her parents can't be with her now. That's a big deal, her parents really didn't have any say. And to think that they are her parents and they should be able to make her decisions until she is 18. Apparently not. I understand why this happened and I realize that the parents were in the wrong, but you think that there would be something they could do to become legal residents or at least to be with their daughter. Hmm... it's a tough one.

This is just another story that just sits there and is just one of those weird things that happens. I really don't know what this girl should do, i truly believe she made the right choice because of her education and it sounds like because she chose to stay in japan that she wants to do something with her life. It is unfortuante that she may not be able to see her parents until she is 18 but i think the best choice was made, because instead of spending 5 more miserable years in phillipines which im sure has no type of good education system she is staying in japan to complete school and hopefully make something of her life. It really is sad that it had to come to something like this where she was forced to decide such a decision but after her parents spend there time in the phillipines they have years and years to spend together. If she wants to get a good job and maybe even support her parents she made the right choice, because going to the phill. for 5 years and coming back she would be 18 with no high school education or any typer of knowledge she would have learned.