4 The Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the Hague Convention) and its Implementation

The Hague Convention is designed as an international mechanism for addressing disputes arising from the wrongful removal or retention of children across borders in the belief that the interests of children are of paramount importance. It requires cooperation between Contracting States to the Convention for returning children to their state of habitual residence and establishing opportunities for transboundary parent-child access.

This Convention came into force in Japan on April 1, 2014. As of December 31, 2020, 101 countries including Japan are parties to the Convention.

The Convention is implemented through mutual cooperation among the governmental agencies designated as the Central Authority in Contracting States to the Convention. In Japan, MOFA as the Central Authority avails itself of experts in various fields, communicates/cooperates with foreign Central Authorities, and provides assistance to the parties such as locating the whereabouts of the child and arranging mediation services aimed at amicable resolutions.

In the six years and nine months between the entry into force of the Convention and the end of December 2020, MOFA received a total number of 425 applications: 271 applications seeking the return of the child and 154 applications seeking access to the child. Of the cases seeking the return of the child from Japan to another country, children were returned in 47 cases and conclusions were reached not to return the child in 42 cases. Of the cases requesting the return of the child from another country to Japan, children were returned in 47 cases and conclusions were reached not to return the child in 28 cases.

As a part of outreach activities to non-Contracting States to the Convention, at an online seminar for Viet Nam's supreme court and judiciary held in December 2020, Japan introduced its experience up to joining the Convention, and its initiatives concerning matters such as its domestic implementation structure after becoming a Contracting State to the Convention.

In addition to this, in the interest of making the Hague Convention known to a wider bracket of citizens, MOFA publishes information concerning the convention and in information magazines for Japanese nationals living overseas and on their web sites, and holds online seminars to raise awareness among Japanese nationals living overseas. MOFA also puts efforts into PR activities by holding seminars in Japan for local governments, and relevant institutions such as bar associations.