Cablegate: Upper House President,S Meeting with Moj About

VZCZCXRO7823
RR RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2598 2660009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 220009Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7366
INFO RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 9943
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 2303
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 3685
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 0519

UNCLAS TOKYO 002598

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/J - M. JACKSON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KOCI CASC JP
SUBJECT: UPPER HOUSE PRESIDENT,S MEETING WITH MOJ ABOUT
HAGUE CONVENTION ON CHILD ABDUCTION

REF: TOKYO 2543

1. (SBU) As a follow-up to his meeting with the DCM on
September 12, Upper House President Satsuki Eda notified the
Embassy that Ministry of Justice (MOJ) officials had told him
during a meeting on September 18 that their ministry is at
the beginning stage of considering accession to the Hague
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child
Abduction. Eda further related that, thanks to international
pressure, MOFA had recently decided that the treaty had to be
reviewed and considered by MOJ. Because domestic laws must
be changed, ratification will "take a long time." Moreover,
because MOJ is currently working on two other issues - a UN
treaty on international sales contracts and how to proceed
with court cases against a sovereign nation - the Hague
Convention on Child Abduction must come after these. MOJ
told Eda that ratification will take at least a few years.
Eda did not think this was a very positive answer but wanted
to update the Embassy.

2. (SBU) Eda's office suggested that Emboffs meet with Upper
House DPJ members Marutei Tsurunen, Azuma Konno, and Keiko
Chiba to further discuss Japan's accession to the Hague
Convention. Prior to becoming Upper House President, Eda had
worked with these three members in a working group on foreign
residents.
SCHIEFFER

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