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US House of Representatives to Introduce House Resolution condemning Japan for International Child Abduction.
Courtesy of Paul Toland, of Help Bring Erika Toland Home Facebook Page
May 2, 2010
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=98937667971
On Wednesday, May 5th 2010, the Japanese National Holiday of Children’s Day, A United States House of Representatives House Resolution will be introduced condemning Japan for International Child Abduction and calling on Japan to facilitate the immediate return of all children abducted to Japan. This historic resolution comes after 58 years of zero cooperation by the Government of Japan on this issue. Of the 231 children abducted to Japan in the last decade, and the countless hundreds more abducted in the preceding decades, none have ever been returned, making Japan quite literally a black hole from which no child ever returns.
A Capitol Hill press conference introducing the resolution will be held from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM outdoors at the House Triangle, located near the Capitol building, opposite Longworth building (and over Independence Ave. road, away from Longworth building). Closest metro is Capitol South.
Speaking at the Press Conference will be Congressman James Moran (D-VA), Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), and many victim parents to include Christopher Savoie, Commander Paul Toland, Doug Berg and others.
Immediately following the press conference, the Bring Abducted Children
(BAC) Home foundation (www.bachome.org), consisting of victim parents of child abduction, will head to the Japanese Embassy for a 4:00 PM rally where the parents will take turns reading excerpts from the resolution in front of the embassy.
That evening, at 7:30 PM, BAC Home Foundation will hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Japanese Ambassador’s residence to remember and pray for the return of the 200+ abducted children.
May 5, 2010 Schedule:
1:30 – 2:30 PM: Capitol Hill Press Conference to introduce House Resolution condemning Japan for International Child Abduction. House Triangle.
4:00 PM: Bring Abducted Children (BAC) Home rally and House Resolution
Reading, Japanese Embassy. 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
7:30 PM – BAC Home Candlelight vigil, Japanese Ambassador’s residence, 4000 Nebraska Ave NW, Washington, DC
ENDS
11 comments on “US House of Reps Resolution submission regarding Japan’s Child Abductions Issue”
Hopefully this will get some coverage in the Japanese press. 58 years is an awfully long time to be “studying the issue”.
This will get zero “0” press in Japan. Why would the Japanese press cover this story? Of course, I want it to get covered, but it will not.
How do you type clapping hands? Well done!
Has anyone got a link to something I heard about the USA-or an American diplomat- hinting it would not support Japan against North Korea over abductions of Japanese citizens because of Japan’s poor record on returning child abductees?
Was this an actual policy proposal? If so, harsh but fair, I say.
— Here it is. http://www.debito.org/?p=5950
Next up, the dreaded and feared strongly worded letter… The GoJ won’t care unless someone abducts a child from Japan to another country.
I think the best way to get the GOJ to start taking this issue seriously would be if we start a boycott of all japanese goods in America until they passed this long overdue treaty. And then im sure the GOJ would wakeup and smell the natto, if it hit them where it hurts in the pocketbook.
@James N:
Even if it is covered in Japan, the coverage will be of the type “See how these foreign barbarians always engage in unjustified Japan bashing, victimizing us poor, honest, moral, upright, and ethically superior long-suffering Japanese”. No one in the Japanese media will question the possibility of there being some merit to the claims. After all, everyone (sic) knows that Japan, with its low crime rate and superior morals, is the best place to raise children, rather than boorish, crime-ridden America where you’ll get shot on any street corner… don’t they…?
From Japan Today.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/congressmen-pressure-japan-on-custody-rights
“Congressmen pressure Japan on custody rights
Thursday 06th May, 06:40 AM JST
WASHINGTON —
A group of members of Congress are seeking a resolution they hope will pressure Japan into closing a loophole they say allows American children to be abducted.
Dozens of American fathers say they have been unable to see their children for years because the mothers have fled to Japan with their children.
Japan has refused to sign an international treaty on child abduction and allows only one parent to have custody in cases of divorce.
Rep Jim Moran, a Virginia Democrat, and Rep Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, introduced a resolution on Wednesday calling on Japan to revamp its child custody laws.
The Japanese embassy issued a statement saying it is aware of the issue and its government is considering joining the treaty.”
The Japan Times, Friday, May 7, 2010
“U.S. resolution condemns Japan”
Lawmakers press for action on child abductions
By ERIC JOHNSTON Staff writer
OSAKA — U.S. lawmakers introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives Wednesday that condemns Japan for being an international haven for child abductors.
Sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran, a Democrat from Virginia, and Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, the resolution calls on the American government to emphasize to Japan that it is a major bilateral issue that must be resolved by joining the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
“The House condemns the abduction and retention of all minor children being held in Japan away from the United States parents in violation of their human rights and United States and international law. It calls on the government of Japan to immediately facilitate the resolution of all abduction cases, to recognize U.S. court orders governing persons subject to jurisdiction in a U.S. court, and to make immediately possible access and communication for all children for their left-behind parents,” the resolution reads.
The resolution, introduced on Children’s Day in Japan, still needs approval by Congress. It aims to pressure Japan to account for children being held by a Japanese national against the wishes of an American parent.
Smith warned of possible sanctions against Japan.
Rest of the article at
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100507a3.html
Followup RE: Japanese Press Coverage
After one week it looks like this story received a very small degree of Japanese-language coverage.
Currently, searching on the Japanese term for Hague convention (“ハーグ条約”) at Google.jp news returns the page below.
http://news.google.co.jp/news/search?pz=1&cf=all&ned=jp&hl=ja&q=%22%E3%83%8F%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B0%E6%9D%A1%E7%B4%84%22
This search results page links to the following brief reports at Sankei/MSN, Jiji Press, and AFPBB.
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/world/america/100506/amr1005061112006-n1.htm
http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201005/2010050600115
http://www.afpbb.com/article/politics/2723704/5721173
http://mainichi.jp/life/housing/news/20100510ddm013100174000c.html
(Also there are two links to broadcast (video) pieces which seem to have already been taken down)
The Mainichi link seems to be a piece focused on domestic custody disputes that only briefly mentions the Hague Convention. So it looks like the US resolution story was ignored by the big 3 Asashi, Mainichi and Yomiuri.
Online survey starts on parental child ‘abductions’
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-conducts-online-survey-on-parental-child-abductions
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20100526a6.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+japantimes_news+%28The+Japan+Times+Headline+News+-+News+%26+Business%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
And here’s the link to the survey itself. Have at it:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/press/event/ko_haag.html