Deposit of the Instrument of Accession to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons

February 18, 2003

1. Japan deposited with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe the instrument of accession to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons in Strasbourg, France, on Monday, 17 February 2003.
2. This Convention was adopted in March 1983 by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe based on discussions held at the Conference of European Ministers of Justice in June 1978, as a multilateral treaty open for signature by the member States and the non-member States of the Council of Europe which have participated in its elaboration, as well as for accession by other non-member states. It is a convention that provides procedures to facilitate the transfer of prisoners sentenced overseas to their home countries.
3. Japan has become the 52nd country to accede to the Convention and the Convention will enter into force for Japan on 1 June 2003. Further, this is the first convention to which Japan has acceded, elaborated by the Council of Europe.
4. Japan's conclusion of the Convention will, by providing the opportunity for Japanese prisoners sentenced overseas and foreign prisoners sentenced in Japan to serve their sentence in their home countries, contribute to the promotion of the social rehabilitation of these sentenced persons, and is expected to assist in realizing better judicial administrative management in Japan, as well as to contribute to the development of international cooperation in the field of criminal law.