Washington—Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) urged President Trump to discuss the issue of international parental child abductions with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the president’s upcoming visit to Japan.

            “The State Department’s 2018 annual report to Congress indicates that Japan has failed to make sufficient progress in enforcing Hague court orders for the return of abducted children, resulting in a pattern of noncompliance with Japan’s obligations under the Hague Abduction Convention. The 2018 annual report found there were six open and active abduction cases in Japan throughout 2017, involving ten children in total,” the senators wrote.

            “Given the State Department’s concerns with the Japanese Government’s pattern of noncompliance, we ask you to urge Prime Minister Abe to address and rectify the limitations in Japanese law identified in the 2018 report.”

            Full text of the letter follows:

May 16, 2019

President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Trump:

            In advance of your meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the coming months, we write you today regarding the issue of international parental child abductions to Japan. We respectfully request that you encourage Prime Minister Abe to make Japan a more reliable partner in securing the return of American children who have been abducted abroad.

            The State Department’s 2018 annual report to Congress indicates that Japan has failed to make sufficient progress in enforcing Hague court orders for the return of abducted children, resulting in a pattern of noncompliance with Japan’s obligations under the Hague Abduction Convention. The 2018 annual report found there were six open and active abduction cases in Japan throughout 2017, involving ten children in total. On average, requests for the return of American children from Japan remain unresolved for one year and ten months. The report concluded that the enforcement process is so excessively long due to limitations in Japanese law, including requirements that direct enforcement take place in the home and presence of the taking parent.

            Given the State Department’s concerns with the Japanese Government’s pattern of noncompliance, we ask you to urge Prime Minister Abe to address and rectify the limitations in Japanese law identified in the 2018 report. We ask you to convey to Prime Minister Abe that without proper enforcement, Hague orders become effectively meaningless, which only adds to the anguish and frustration of left-behind parents, and the American public.

            Thank you for your attention to this matter, and for recognizing our joint commitment to securing the return of every single American child abducted abroad.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Thom Tillis
United States Senator