Japanese Quotes
on Parental Child Abduction/Hague Convention
1996
“Kunio Koide,
a Japanese Foreign Ministry official, said his government does not see the need for signing the treaty
because Japan's
Protection of Personal Liberties Act prevents an individual from being
illegally restrained. But Koide acknowledged that it would be difficult to
prosecute a parent under that act.” Lost
in a Loophole: Foreigners Who Are on the Losing End of a Custody Battle in Japan
Don't Have Much Recourse; Evelyn Iritani, Los
Angeles Times, Thursday, September 19, 1996, Page E-1
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1999
“Though it
helped draft the convention, Japan
has yet to sign. Asked why, an official from the legal affairs bureau of the
foreign ministry commented that Japan
already has legislation to deal with child abduction. He cited the Protection
of Personal Liberty Act, enacted shortly after World War II primarily to
prohibit the buying and selling of people.
Pressed further, the official admitted current legislation may not
always be sufficient. In certain cases of international parental abduction, he
said, "I think in Japan
there is no way to bring back the child. It's true, yes." The official added that the ministry has invited experts on
international law to discuss the practicalities of joining the Hague
Convention. "I cannot promise when Japan will enter this
convention," he said.” Access
Denied Children Innocent Victims of Custody Battles; Tim Large, The Daily
Yomiuri, Saturday, December 11, 1999, page 7.
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2000 – “A Foreign Ministry
official, however, said pressure
from within Japan
to sign the treaty has yet to materialize.” Parents Driven to Kidnap Children; Rob Giloohy, Japan
Times, December 13, 2000.
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2002 – “According to an
official in the Treaties Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ratification
is not likely soon, since that would entail overhauling many domestic laws and
procedures. ``It would take a major
initiative between government branches and ministries,'' the official said.
``This kind of cooperation does not exist at this time. The only signals we are
getting are from the United
States. At the domestic level, the government doesn't feel the
need exists.''” Estranged Parents
Snatch Their Own Kids in “Abduction Friendly” Japan; Paul Baylis, Asahi Shimbun
News Service, January 27, 2002.
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2003 – “A spokesman for the treaty division of Japan's
Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Hague Convention has not been ratified
because "we've been
studying it" since its ratification.” Divorced
From Their Children In Japan, Foreign Fathers Have Few Custody Options; Doug
Struck and Sachiko Sakamaki, Washington Post, Thursday, July 17, 2003; Page A9
2006 – “An official at the Foreign Ministry said,
"We consider it an important treaty, but as we have to go over its legal aspects as well, we do
not yet know when we can sign it."
The Justice Ministry has
been reviewing the convention with the help of legal experts for some years.”” Increased cross-national divorces raise
concerns over parental abductions, Japan Economic Newswire, January 3, 2006,
AND Japan
remains haven for parental abductions, Sayo Sasaki, Kyodo News Service, January
6, 2006
2006 – “More than 25 years after the Hague Convention
was completed, Japan’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs
says that it is still studying the document. At a recent conference on
child abduction held at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, a spokesman said the Ministry wasn’t
opposed to the convention, but that “at present there is not enough support from Japanese nationals.””
Think of the Children: Japan's
prejudiced legal system encourages desperate parents to abduct their own kids;
Tokyo Metropolis Magazine, January 2006.
