•HRES 1326 EH 
ernment of Japan to return a single abducted child to the 
United States; 
Whereas Japan has not acceded to the 1980 Hague Conven-
tion on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction 
(the Hague Convention), resulting in the continued ab-
sence of an immediate civil remedy that as a matter of 
urgency would enable the expedited return of abducted 
children to their custodial parent in the United States 
where appropriate, or otherwise immediately allow access 
to their United States parent; 
Whereas the Government of Japan is the only G–7 country 
that has not acceded to the Hague Convention; 
Whereas the Hague Convention would not apply to most ab-
ductions occurring before Japan’s ratification of the 
Hague Convention, requiring, therefore, that Japan cre-
ate a separate parallel process to resolve the abductions 
of all United States citizen children who currently remain 
wrongfully removed to or retained in Japan, including the 
136 United States citizen children who have been re-
ported to the United States Department of State and 
who are being held in Japan against the wishes of their 
parent in the United States and, in many cases, in direct 
violation of a valid United States court order; 
Whereas the Hague Convention provides enumerated defenses 
designed to provide protection to children alleged to be 
subjected to a grave risk of physical or psychological 
harm in the left-behind country; 
Whereas United States laws against domestic violence extend 
protection and redress to Japanese spouses; 
Whereas there are cases of Japanese consulates located with-
in the United States issuing or reissuing travel docu-
•HRES 1326 EH 
ments of dual-national children notwithstanding United 
States court orders restricting travel; 
Whereas Japanese family courts may not actively enforce pa-
rental access and joint custody arrangements for either 
a Japanese national or a foreigner, there is little hope for 
children to have contact with the noncustodial parent; 
Whereas the Government of Japan has not prosecuted an ab-
ducting parent or relative criminally when that parent or 
relative abducts the child into Japan, but has prosecuted 
cases of foreign nationals removing Japanese children 
from Japan; 
Whereas according to the United States Department of 
State’s April 2009 Report on Compliance with the Hague 
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child 
Abduction, abducted children are at risk of serious emo-
tional and psychological problems and have been found to 
experience anxiety, eating problems, nightmares, mood 
swings, sleep disturbances, aggressive behavior, resent-
ment, guilt, and fearfulness, and as adults may struggle 
with identity issues, their own personal relationships, and 
parenting; 
Whereas left-behind parents may encounter substantial psy-
chological, emotional, and financial problems, and many 
may not have the financial resources to pursue civil or 
criminal remedies for the return of their children in for-
eign courts or political systems; 
Whereas, on October 16, 2009, the Ambassadors to Japan of 
Australia, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, 
the United Kingdom, and the United States, all parties 
to the Hague Convention, called upon Japan to accede to 
the Hague Convention and to identify and implement
•HRES 1326 EH 
measures to enable parents who are separated from their 
children to establish contact with them and to visit them; 
Whereas, on January 30, 2010, the Ambassadors to Japan 
of Australia, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom 
and the United States, the Charges d’Affaires ad interim 
of Canada and Spain, and the Deputy Head of Mission 
of Italy, called on Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
submitted their concerns over the increase in inter-
national parental abduction cases involving Japan and af-
fecting their nationals, and again urged Japan to sign 
the Hague Convention; 
Whereas the Government of Japan has recently created a 
new office within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ad-
dress parental child abduction and a bilateral commission 
with the Government of the United States to share infor-
mation on and seek resolution of outstanding Japanese 
parental child abduction cases; and 
Whereas it is critical for the Governments of the United 
States and Japan to work together to prevent future inci-
dents of international parental child abduction to Japan, 
which damages children, families, and Japan’s national 
image with the United States: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That— 
(1) the House of Representatives— 
(A) condemns the abduction and wrongful re-
tention of all children being held in Japan away 
from their United States parents; 
(B) calls on the Government of Japan to im-
mediately facilitate the resolution of all abduction 
cases, to recognize United States court orders gov-
•HRES 1326 EH 
erning persons subject to jurisdiction in a United 
States court, and to make immediately possible ac-
cess and communication for all children with their 
left-behind parents; 
(C) calls on the Government of Japan to in-
clude Japan’s Ministry of Justice in work with the 
Government of the United States to facilitate the 
identification and location of all United States cit-
izen children alleged to have been wrongfully re-
moved to or retained in Japan and for the imme-
diate establishment of procedures and a timetable 
for the resolution of existing cases of abduction, in-
terference with parental access to children, and vio-
lations of United States court orders; 
(D) calls on the Government of Japan to re-
view and amend its consular procedures to ensure 
that travel documents for children are issued with 
due consideration to any orders by a court of com-
petent jurisdiction and with notarized signatures 
from both parents; 
(E) calls on Japan to accede to the 1980 
Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Inter-
national Child Abduction without delay and to 
promptly establish judicial and enforcement proce-
dures to facilitate the immediate return of children
•HRES 1326 EH 
to their habitual residence and to establish proce-
dures for recognizing rights of parental access; and 
(F) calls on the President of the United States 
and the Secretary of State to continue raising the 
issue of abduction and wrongful retention of those 
United States citizen children in Japan with Japa-
nese officials and domestic and international press; 
and 
(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that the United States should— 
(A) recognize the issue of child abduction to 
and retention of United States citizen children in 
Japan as an issue of paramount importance to the 
United States within the context of its bilateral re-
lationship with Japan; 
(B) work with the Government of Japan to 
enact consular and passport procedures and legal 
agreements to prevent parental abduction to and re-
tention of United States citizen children in Japan; 
(C) review its advisory services made available 
to United States citizens domestically and inter-
nationally from the Department of State, the De-
partment of Defense, the Department of Justice, 
and other government agencies to ensure that effec-
tive and timely assistance is given to United States