On May 15, 2018 as Japan was about to be cited for International Parental Child Abduction by the United States, they held a public seminar at the House of Culture of Japan in Paris co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. In an audio recording from inside the event, we hear participants being educated about The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction. They are also taught how to prevent having their children returned to France should they take them without consent to live in Japan. More simply put, organizers lay out how to abduct to Japan and get away with it.
| The audio recording obtained from the seminar has been reviewed by multiple bilingual persons. They agree that it and the transcript of key sections provided in French and English are accurate and the purpose is clear. A more complete transcript of this portion of the seminar is available in English and Japanese. |
One of the intents of The Hague Abduction Convention is to create an efficient legal path for children to be returned to their country of habitual residence. In reality what one would hope is simple when a child is abducted, becomes complex. If the parent of the internationally kidnapped child (or what The Hague calls the "left-behind parent") resides in a Hague signatory country they must file a return application that is diplomatically transmitted to Japan's Central Authority.
Then you must file your case in court in Japan. Naturally parents are advised to retain legal counsel. If you win, you may have to face appeals. Win that and you might have to address an appeal to the Japanese Supreme Court. If you are still on the conveyor belt with a Hague return order in hand, you'd better hope the abductor is willing to honor it, because Japan fails to enforce them. During all this time any contact with your kidnapped child is left at the discretion of the abducting parent. This means you probably won't have any access to your child as the daily nightmare and alienation continues.
By creating a seminar that advised potential abductors how to circumvent a Hague return order, the Government of Japan has exhibited a shocking and blatant disregard for this international agreement.
When exposed and confronted, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tried to deflect it as a rogue act by a presenter they invited. If that were true someone from the Japanese Government staff would have cut the speaker off and denounced the advice. They did not do that because was not a rogue act. It was intentional.
International Parental Child Abduction is a crime, and human and family rights violation. It is an ongoing form of child abuse that inflicts potentially long-lasting harm to the kidnapped child. The child is not safe because the kidnapper happens to be a parent.
Japan is one of the top-three worst offenders according to a U.S. State Department official testifying to Congress. The Government of Japan is also shameless co-conspirator.
Then you must file your case in court in Japan. Naturally parents are advised to retain legal counsel. If you win, you may have to face appeals. Win that and you might have to address an appeal to the Japanese Supreme Court. If you are still on the conveyor belt with a Hague return order in hand, you'd better hope the abductor is willing to honor it, because Japan fails to enforce them. During all this time any contact with your kidnapped child is left at the discretion of the abducting parent. This means you probably won't have any access to your child as the daily nightmare and alienation continues.
By creating a seminar that advised potential abductors how to circumvent a Hague return order, the Government of Japan has exhibited a shocking and blatant disregard for this international agreement.
When exposed and confronted, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tried to deflect it as a rogue act by a presenter they invited. If that were true someone from the Japanese Government staff would have cut the speaker off and denounced the advice. They did not do that because was not a rogue act. It was intentional.
International Parental Child Abduction is a crime, and human and family rights violation. It is an ongoing form of child abuse that inflicts potentially long-lasting harm to the kidnapped child. The child is not safe because the kidnapper happens to be a parent.
Japan is one of the top-three worst offenders according to a U.S. State Department official testifying to Congress. The Government of Japan is also shameless co-conspirator.
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