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"Symposium on the Hague Convention
- in Considering the Modality of International Family Mediation -"
organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

January 16, 2013

Japanese

The Government of Japan has been making efforts toward the conclusion of "the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the Hague Convention)". Should it be concluded, the Government of Japan will designate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Central Authority which provides assistance for securing the return of children and other objectives of the Convention. Under the Convention, the Ministry shall take, either directly or through any intermediary, all appropriate measures to secure the voluntary return of children or to bring about an amicable resolution of the issues. Mediation, a non-judicial form of amicable solution, encourages both parties to move voluntarily on to an agreement and often successfully avoids the increased complication of the issues. Contracting States have recognised the importance of mediation in this light and shared this view at such forum as the Special Commission Meetings. Nevertheless, currently in Japan, there are no sufficient experiences or knowledge accumulated in the field of international mediation concerning child removal issues.

The "Symposium on the Hague Convention ? in Considering the Modality of International Family Mediation ?" to be held on 16th January in 2013 will be a forum for discussing the modality of international mediation in Japan. The discussion will include sharing the experiences and knowledge of experts from the U.K. and Germany with a wealth of experience in mediation within the scope of the Hague Convention, and exchanging views on what modalities for international mediation should be in place in Japan after the Hague Convention comes into effect.

We are looking forward to your participation and please register your attendance as guided below.

Date

Date:
Wednesday 16th January, 2013, 13:00 - 16:30
Venue:
Mita 2-1-8, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Mita Kaigisho
Map [PDF]
Organiser:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
Cooperation:
Japan Association of Arbitrators
Sponsorship:
Japan Federation of Bar Associations
Language:
Japanese and English(For those who wish to hear a simultaneous interpreting, the limited number of earphones will be available.)
Admission:
Free of Charge
Capacity:
Approximately 200 people
Preliminary Programme
13:00 Opening
Opening Address(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
13:20

Keynote Speech

  1. 1) Anne-Marie Hutchinson OBE(Solicitor and Partner at Dawson Cornwell, Chair of the Board of Trustees of reunite, United Kingdom)
    Theme : "Cross-border Child Custody Disputes and the Ideal Modality of the Hague Convention and the Mediation"
  2. 2) Isomi Suzuki (Attorney at law, Chairperson of the study group on private mediation schemes of Japan Association of Arbitrators)
    Theme : "Challenge of International Mediation in Japan in response to the Hague Convention Cases"
14:25 Break
14:40

Panel Discussion

Theme : "Mediation in the Framework of the Hague Convention - Learning from Experiences of Germany and the United Kingdom-"

Moderators :
Mikiko Otani (Attorney at law, Member of the study group on private mediation schemes of Japan Association of Arbitrators, Vice-chair of the Hague Convention Working Group of Japan Federation of Bar Associations)
Miyuki Sano (Attorney at law, Member of the Hague Convention Working Group of Japan Federation of Bar Association)

Panelists :

  1. 1) Sandra Fenn (Expert for the Mediation of Hague Convention, reunite, United Kingdom)
  2. 2) Masayuki Tanamura (Professor, Faculty of Law, Waseda University)
  3. 3) Yoshiko Aibara (Attorney at law, Member of the Hague Convention Working Group of Japan Federation of Bar Association)
  4. 4) Christoph Cornelius Paul (Lawyer, MiKK, Germany)
  5. 5) Isomi Suzuki (Attorney at law, Chairperson of the study group on private mediation schemes of Japan Association of Arbitrators)
  6. 6) Akio Miyajima (Deputy Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Registration for the Symposium

  • To register for this symposium, please email us at hague.symposium@mofa.go.jp by 18:00 on Wednesday 9th January , 2013 . Your email should include the following information:
    Subject:Registration for Hague Symposium
    1. (1) Name
    2. (2) Organisation
    3. (3) Position
    4. (4) Telephone number
      In the case of group registration, please provide the necessary information of all participants.
  • Seating capacity at the symposium is limited (approximately 200 people) and we may be unable to invite all applicants if we receive more applications than available seats. We will notify you whether a seat is available or not by around a week ahead of the symposium.
  • Information provided by you on this registration will be processed properly and only used for the purpose of this symposium.
  • Please come well ahead of the starting time as we will confirm your name at the reception desk. Persons not following our staff's guidance or instructions in the hall will be refused admission or asked to leave.
  • Please come to the venue by public transportation if possible as the Mita Kaigisho has no parking areas.

Resources

  1. （1）Programme [PDF]
  2. （2）Symposium Papers

Minutes

Minutes [PDF]

Enquiries about the Symposium

Hague Convention Division, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Japan
Tel:03-5501-8000 (Enquiries are accepted from 9:30 to 17:30 on weekdays.)
FAX:03-5501-8239
Email:hague.symposium@mofa.go.jp

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