UPPER HOUSE PRESIDENT,S MEETING WITH MOJ ABOUT

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