Baby Manji's luck looks up, may get Japan visa

VISA POWER: Born to Indian surrogate mum, Manjhi Yamada was in legal limbo after her Japanese parents split.

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New Delhi: Japan's Justice minister on Friday hinted that authorities there were ready to issue a visa to a baby girl who was born to an Indian surrogate mother from a Japanese father.

Manji Yamada fate was caught in a legal tangle when her Japanese parents divorced during the surrogate mother’s pregnancy. Even though her Japanese mother does not want to adopt her anymore, her father, Ikufumi Yamada, still wants to gain custody.

However, a string of legal hurdles prevent him from doing so, as Indian law does not allow single fathers to adopt baby girls and has complicated ruled for foreigners wishing to adopt.

"I would like to handle the case in the direction of granting a visa," Justice Minister Okiharu Yasuoka, who oversees Japan's immigration policy, said.

Yasuoka also said the ministry would look into laws related to surrogacy to decide the Manjhee's future.

“Whether to permit surrogate pregnancy is a matter to be discussed by respective institutions, but the ministry will study the possibilities under the law out of consideration for the child's future," he added.

Law in Japan does not prohibit surrogacy but professional bodies of obstetricians and gynaecologists ban it, citing in part the possibility of custody battles.

(With agency inputs)