Press Releases

1. 　Japan has been concerned that the Title III of the Helms-Burton Act may constitute an extraterritorial application of domestic law and may affect stable economic relations of private companies, has been asking the United States for a cautious implementation of the law.
2. 　In response to the full application of Title III effective on May 2, which has enabled exercise of the right to file suits in accordance with Title III in the United States, Japan will continue to pay close attention to the impacts on Japan and developments in the situation.

　Title III of the Helms-Burton Act provides for the liability of persons who traffic in property confiscated by the Cuban Government from U.S. nationals after the Cuban Revolution (authorizes U.S. nationals who hold claim to the property to file suit in the United States). Although the Helms-Burton Act entered into force when then President Bill Clinton signed it on March 12, 1996, the application of Title III of the Act has been suspended every six months through January 2019. In January 2019, the U.S. Department of State shortened the suspension period to 45 days beginning February 1, 2019. On March 4, 2019, the period was shortened to 30 days beginning March 19, 2019, and an exception to the suspension measure was made for some Cuban companies. On April 3, 2019, the U.S. State Department announced that the period will be further shortened to two weeks beginning April 18, 2019, and finally on April 17, 2019, decided on the full application of Title III beginning May 2.