The Hague Convention (Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction)
List of Commissioned Institutions for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR Institutions)
| Institution Name and Address |
Contact Information | Available Languages | Mediators and Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dispute Resolution Center of Tokyo Bar Association Bengoshi Kaikan 6F, |
Inquiry Form: Inquiry Form About Mediation for International Family Disputes (ADR Under Hague Convention) Phone: 03-3581-0031 Website: International Family ADR (TOKYO BAR ASSOCIATTION)
|
Inquiry form: Japanese, English ADR sessions: Japanese, English |
The mediation panel consists of two mediators: one attorney and one expert in sociology or psychology, such as a clinical psychologist, enabling the panel to address both legal and psychological aspects of the case and to facilitate agreements in the best interests of the child. The attorney serving as a mediator must have at least seven years of practical experience and experience in international and domestic family law cases, including Hague Cases. Many attorneys in the list of candidates are proficient in English. Non-attorney mediators must be experts in sociology or psychology and have completed training on Hague cases organized by the Tokyo Bar Association. The institution selects mediators from the list, considering the parties’ diverse cultural backgrounds and differing values to ensure a balanced process. If the parties reach an agreement, they may jointly select two mediators from the list. A number of the mediators on our list have received mediation training from our institution or through international programs. |
|
Arbitration & Mediation Center Bengoshi Kaikan 11F, |
Email: FamilyADR@ichiben.or.jp Phone: 03-3595-8588 Website: International Family ADR (DAIICHI TOKYO BAR ASSOCIATION)
|
Email: Japanese, English ADR sessions: Japanese, English |
The roster for Hague cases includes 10 mediators, each with over 10 years of professional experience as lawyers, judges or university lecturers and expertise in family law, arbitration law and the court proceedings in family and civil cases. Additionally, the roster includes mediators who have a good command of English. The Center's Steering Committee appoints two mediators (in principle, one male and one female) with at least one being fluent in English or the parties may select two mediators from the list by mutual agreement. Mediators seek solutions by carefully listening to the views of both parties. To encourage a timely dispute resolution, the Center promptly arranges mediators and the first ADR session upon receipt of application. It is flexible with scheduling and accommodates the parties’ preferences to the extent possible. |
|
Daini Tokyo Bar Association Bengoshi Kaikan 9F, |
Email: hague-adr@niben.or.jp Phone: 03-3581-2249 Website: International Family ADR (DAINI TOKYO BAR ASSOCIATION)
|
Email: Japanese, English ADR sessions: Japanese, English |
We appoint two mediators for each case to facilitate discussions from a fair and neutral perspective. Our mediators are lawyers with abundant experience in international domestic relations matters and work in male-female pairs whenever possible. Daini Tokyo Bar Association was established in March 1990 as the first Bar Association’s ADR organization in Japan. The Center handled over 300 domestic relations cases in a period from 1998 to 2025. The Center is committed to administer the cases as flexibly as possible according to parties’ preference, such as scheduling an ADR session soon after the ADR application is filed. |
|
Aichi Bar Association Dispute Resolution Center Aichi Bengoshi Kaikan 2F, |
Email: aichiassen@aiben.jp Phone: 052-203-1777 Website: International Family ADR (AICHI BAR ASSOCIATION)
|
Email (allowed only from those who reside overseas): Japanese, English ADR sessions: Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese |
The Center maintains the list of twelve candidates eligible to serve as mediators in Hague Convention cases. All candidates are attorneys with more than ten years of practical experience and possess extensive expertise in domestic and international family law, family court procedures, mediation techniques, and also proficient in foreign languages. For each case, the Center appoints two attorney-mediators—one male and one female—from the list of the candidates. In addition, where necessary, a specialist mediator such as a psychological counselor may be appointed to provide tailored, case-specific support. A distinctive feature of the Center is that, separate from the mediators, the Center appoints expert advisors who are proficient in foreign languages to assist parties who do not speak Japanese. From the commencement of its service through the end of December 2025, the Center has handled approximately 4900 cases over a period of about 28 years. In recent years, the Center has been handling approximately 140 cases annually. |
|
Mediation Center Osaka Osaka Bengoshi Kaikan 1F, |
Email: info@minkanchotei.or.jp Phone: 06-6364-7644 Website: International Family ADR (MEDIATION CENTER OSAKA)
|
Email (allowed only from those who reside overseas): Japanese, English ADR sessions: Japanese |
A pair of mediators will be selected from the list of mediator candidates of the Center, which includes lawyers (29 people), academics (4 people), and various experts such as clinical psychologists (8 people). In principle, one man and one woman will be selected, and one of them will always be a lawyer. The appointment is based on the mutual agreement of both parties. If parties are not able to agree on one or two mediators, the Center will appoint the remaining mediators. One of the mediators will be someone who is fluent in the language used daily by the parties who do not fully understand Japanese. However, this will not apply if there is no one fluent in that language on the list of mediator candidates. |
|
Fukuoka Bar Association Dispute Resolution Center Fukuoka Bar Association Building, |
Email: hagueadr@fben.jp Phone: 092-791-1840 Fax: 092-752-1330 Website: International Family ADR (FUKUOKA BAR ASSOCIATION)
|
Email: Japanese, English ADR sessions: Japanese, English |
Candidates for mediators and arbitrators must be well-versed in domestic and international family law, arbitration law, legal procedures related to family and civil cases, as well as mediation techniques. Alternatively, they may be individuals proficient in foreign languages. Additionally, they must be lawyers with at least five years of practical experience or individuals recognized as suitable and nominated by the President of the Fukuoka Bar Association. As a general rule, two mediators and arbitrators―one male and one female―are selected from the list of mediator and arbitrator candidates. This Center has accepted 718 cases over a 23-year period since its establishment (approximately 10 percent of which are domestic relations cases in recent years), and, through settlement, solved about 50 percent of the cases where mutual discussions were started. The Center will set the dates of sessions as flexibly as possible in order to respond to discussions across different time zone. Please do not hesitate to use this Center. |
