VZCZCXRO4351
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2515 3030611
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 300611Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7165
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 7175
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 9531
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 4420
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 7687
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 0993

UNCLAS TOKYO 002515 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR, EAP/PD, EAP/J, EAP/P, CA 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC OIIP KMDR KPAO JA KOCI
SUBJECT: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - AMBASSADOR ROOS AND SEVEN EMBASSIES 
in MEETING WITH JUSTICE MINISTER CHIBA 
 
REF: A) TOKYO 02414 B) TOKYO 2395; C) TOKYO 0040; D) TOKYO 0039; E) 
TOKYO 0036; F) TOKYO 0035 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: On October 16 Ambassador Roos and seven other envoys 
called on Justice Minister Chiba to urge her to accelerate Japan's 
accession to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of 
International Child Abduction. The demarche brought the issue press 
coverage and increased the pressure on Japan to accede to the 
Convention. Nevertheless, GOJ officials express concern that 
accession to the Convention might result in children being returned 
to abusive foreign parents. Emboffs will continue to educate 
Japanese officials on the Convention's stipulation that a child need 
not be returned if he or she would be exposed to harm. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. On October 16 Ambassador Roos, ambassadors from Canada, France, 
Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and the 
Australian Deputy Head of Mission called on Justice Minister Chiba 
to urge her to promote Japan's accession to the 1980 Hague 
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction(REF 
A). The demarche was not in immediate response to the arrest of an 
American father in Fukuoka for trying to bring his children back to 
the United States, but did take place two days after his release 
(REFS: B-F) In Japan the Fukuoka case did not attract direct press 
coverage, but media outlets did report reaction to it in the United 
States. 
 
¶3. Although the Ministry of Justice had not planned to invite the 
press to the meeting with the envoys, it opened up the event to a 
photo spray in response to a request from post's Press Section. On 
October 17 four morning papers across the political spectrum gave 
inside-page play to the demarche. The liberal Mainichi reported the 
ambassadors from the eight participating embassies afterward 
released a joint press statement that said in part: "It is important 
to develop tangible solutions to cases of parental child abduction 
in Japan. We are willing to work closely with the new Japanese 
government." 
 
¶4. The envoys' meeting with Justice Minister Chiba resulted in 
detailed press coverage and ratcheted up pressure on Japan to sign 
the Hague Convention. The conservative Yomiuri in a page-one piece 
on Oct. 18 and the liberal Asahi in an editorial two days later 
described the ambassadors' meeting with the minister as part of a 
crescendo of calls from the international community for Japan's 
accession to the convention. The Yomiuri article said the growing 
pressure added momentum in favor of Japan's signing the treaty. 
Coincidentally, on the day of the demarche, the Yomiuri ran an 
editorial entitled "Time to study joining treaty on child custody" 
in which it said: "....the issue has become the cause of diplomatic 
friction. The government must tackle the issue without delay." The 
Asahi editorial noted: "The argument that all countries should abide 
by the rules of the Hague Convention carries conviction...It is 
probably not realistic for Japan to continue to avoid signing the 
Hague Convention." 
 
¶5. Still, Japanese ministers have been reluctant to express a strong 
commitment to moving Japan in the direction of signing the Hague 
Convention. "I am aware there are international opinions on this 
issue," commented Justice Minister Chiba at a news conference on the 
day of the envoys' visit. "We will deal with this issue according to 
the prevailing trend." Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said at a 
separate news conference: "We would like to consider this issue 
positively. However, there is the question of how the public will 
react." The Yomiuri article said Japan would have to amend existing 
law and pass new legislation in order for the country to accede to 
the Hague Convention. The newspaper estimated the requisite 
legislation could not be in place until 2011 at the earliest. 
 
¶6. COMMENT:  While pointing out that there is momentum, some 
articles noted that the GOJ has argued that signing the convention 
may not protect Japanese women and their children from abusive 
foreign husbands. GOJ officials have claimed in discussions with 
emboffs that Japanese parents who take children are victims of 
domestic violence and therefore the GOJ must ensure that the 
children are not returned to an abusive foreign parent.  Although 
they have not provided evidence in support of this contention, press 
coverage indicates that this belief appears to be widely held in 
Japan. The October 16 editorial in the Yomiuri Shimbun pointed out 
that the Hague Convention "stipulates that a child need not be 
returned if he or she would be exposed to physical or psychological 
harm. Serious consideration should be given to this point." 
 
 
ROOS