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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 002563 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CA/OCS (BOND, MICHELE) 
CA/OCS/CI (REGAN, MIKE) 
EAP/J (CAMPBELL, TODD) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2009 
TAGS: CASC PREL KOCI KITA JA
SUBJECT: URGING JAPAN TO ACCEDE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON 
INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION ISSUES DURING PRESIDENT 
OBAMA,S VISIT 
 
REF: SEOUL 001750 
 
Classified By: Ambassador John Roos.  Reasons 1.4 (b), (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  We believe the President,s visit offers an 
opportunity for progress on International Child Abduction 
issues.  Within the last year, US officials including 
Secretary Clinton have raised this issue with GOJ 
counterparts.  The new Hatoyama government seems more 
sympathetic to working toward accession to the Hague 
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child 
Abduction and taking other steps to resolve current abduction 
cases involving over 100 American children.  By raising this 
issue with Hatoyama the President could spur the GOJ to more 
rapid actions.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Japan is the only G-7 country that is not a 
signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects 
of International Child Abduction.  Japan is one of the top 
three destination countries for parental child abduction 
cases.  The Department is currently tracking 79 cases which 
involve over 100 American children, numbers which continue to 
grow significantly from year to year. As recently as 2005, 
the Department was aware of only 11 cases. The Department is 
aware of no case where an American child has ever been 
returned from Japan to the United States as a result of 
actions by the Japanese government or Japanese courts to 
enforce U.S. court orders, arrest warrants of parental child 
kidnappers, or shared custody or visitation arrangements. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Both post and Washington are engaged in vigorous 
bilateral and multilateral diplomatic efforts to convince the 
Government of Japan to address parental abduction issues. 
Since the Hague Convention would not retroactively address 
current cases, Japan is also being urged to develop 
mechanisms to resolve cases of parents whose children have 
been abducted to Japan, or who have no visitation access to 
children who are located in Japan.  In April 2009, Secretary 
Clinton addressed the issue of Hague Convention accession 
with former Foreign Minister Nakasone while attending a 
conference at The Hague. Assistant Secretary Campbell and 
Ambassador Roos have frequently raised Hague accession with 
senior Japanese officials.  Multilateral diplomatic efforts 
have been particularly successful in raising the visibility 
of this issue among the Japanese public.  In October 2009, 
Ambassador Roos joined diplomatic representatives from seven 
other nations in presenting a joint demarche on Minister of 
Justice Chiba which has also helped fuel a public debate on 
reform of family law in Japan. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Japan's accession to the Hague Convention would 
also potentially advantage American left behind parents in 
Japan (non-Hague cases), many of whom have been cut off from 
access to their children due to antiquated divorce laws and 
customs which typically grant one parent, usually the mother, 
sole custody.  Traditionally, the non-custodial parent in 
Japan is forced to relinquish all contact with children, 
forcing many children to grow up fatherless and cut off from 
half of their cultural heritage.  Even if American parents 
prevail in Japanese courts or obtain joint custody 
agreements, court orders and decisions in family matters here 
are not enforceable by courts or police.  Accession to the 
Hague Convention is but a first step in a long road which 
Japan must take in order to resolve the many challenges that 
American parents face when dealing with issues of 
international parental child abduction, divorce, and joint 
custody and visitation of children in Japan. 
 
¶5.  (C) In response to past diplomatic efforts on Hague 
accession and the growing problem of child abductions, a 
succession of LDP-led governments have only promised to 
"study the issue."  The new government headed by Prime 
Minister Hatoyama seems more receptive to Hague accession and 
to taking practical steps to resolve problems of 
international child abduction.  The President's visit 
provides a unique opportunity to move Japan more closely 
toward Hague accession and family law reform by raising this 
issue during the meeting between the two heads of state. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The U.S. Congress is increasingly involved in 
efforts to promote Japan's accession to the Hague Convention. 
 
TOKYO 00002563  002 OF 002 
 
 
 Speaker of the House Pelosi has addressed her concerns over 
Japan's position directly with Japanese officials.  Japan has 
been unfavorably cited in legislation promoting resolution of 
child abduction cases.  Post has also received confirmation 
from Senate staffers that a letter is currently being 
circulated for signature among U.S. Senators urging President 
Obama to raise the issue of International Parental Child 
Abduction with Prime Minister Hatoyama. 
 
¶7.  (C) Post agrees with our colleagues in Seoul that this 
issue deserves the President's personal support during 
discussions with leaders in Asia, and that Presidential 
attention will greatly assist in the effort to bring Japan in 
line with the other G-7 countries on this important issue. 
¶8.  (C) Suggested talking point:  I urge you to consider ways 
to address international child abduction issues. 
ROOS