Foreign Policy Blogs

Japan to join Hague convention on child abduction

Tokyo said yesterday that it will announce a plan to join the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction at the Group of Eight developed countries’ summit in late May in Deauville, France. The government is expected to instruct the justice and foreign ministries to develop necessary bills to have Japan join the convention during a regular Diet session next year.

Japan has been under intense pressure to join the convention, with U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., saying that Japan “has become a destination country, a haven, for international child abduction,” and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging Japan to join the convention back in March. In 2009 alone, 37 American children were abducted by Japanese nationals.

This is a huge step forward for Japan. I’ve discussed in the linked post (above) why joining the convention may be contentious for the Japanese domestically. Joining now is a sign that Japan may finally be joining the 20th century on human rights.

 

Author

Dustin Dye

Dustin Dye is the author of the YAKUZA DYNASTY series, available through the Amazon Kindle.

He lived in Okayama, Japan, where he taught English at a junior high school through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program for three years. He is a graduate from the University of Kansas, where he received a bachelor's degree in anthropology.

His interest in Japan began in elementary school after seeing Godzilla fight Ghidorah, the three-headed monster. But it wasn't until he discovered Akira Kurosawa's films through their spaghetti Western remakes that he truly became fascinated in the people and culture of Japan.

He lives in Kansas with his wife, daughter and guinea pig.

Visit him online at www.dustindye.net.
E-mail him: [email protected]