NCFM NOTE:Patrick Braden is perhaps the world’s leading activist regarding parental kidnappings to Japan. He tirelessly and at great personal expense spends months on end in Washington D.C. and elsewhere lobbying on behalf of kidnapped children and their parents who miss them. Here, Japanese and American cultures are vastly different. However, with the continuing dedication from activists like Mr. Braden, Japan and America may some day reach a mutual understanding and working relationship regarding parental kidnapping of children to Japan. Thank you for your work Mr. Braden.
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From: Global Future, The Parents’ Council on International Children’s Policy
Contact: Patrick Braden,
(213) 392-5872
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Washington for a four-day summit with President Obama, bearing yet another promise that Japan will accede to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. For 30 years, Japanese officials have said they have been “studying the Hague”. While Japan studied, one FBI agent estimated in 2009 that 20,000 American children have been kidnapped from U.S. soil and taken to Japan. Even if Japan finally fulfills its public promises to sign the Hague, the Treaty will only represent a prevention framework for future cases. There has been no mention of remedy for, and the Hague will not apply retroactively to existing cases. In spite of intensely negative press, Congressional legislation, and several joint demarches in recent years by 10 or more countries condemning Japan’s apparent policy of state-sanctioned kidnapping, Japan has not yet acted to remedy any of the long record of existing criminal abductions, or prevent future
abductions of children by its nationals.
Per capita and in real numbers, Japan, a G7 nation, owns the ignominious ranking of #2 in the world in the crime of international child kidnapping, behind Mexico and ahead of India. Unlike the developing countries of Somalia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, Japan has never returned a kidnapped child to the U.S. or any other country, through direct legal or diplomatic means. Over the same 30 years, the only American child ever returned from an illegal kidnapping to Japan, is Wisconsin native Karina Garcia. Today, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues efforts to subvert the U.S. law and jurisdiction governing Karina’s custody. Both U.S. and Japanese courts had previously awarded full custody to her father, Dr. Moises Garcia.
American parents of children kidnapped from the U.S. to Japan believe there is much Japan must rectify. In U.S.-to-Japan child kidnappings, Japanese nationals intentionally broke the law in America and directly defied, with pre-meditation and malice, U.S. court custody and passport surrender orders, issued under proper U.S. jurisdiction. The abductors frequently enlisted the assistance of organized crime elements in the planning and execution of the crimes. Worse, MOFA officials in Japan’s U.S. Consulates encourage law breaking on their own websites and assist in the crimes through dubious and unilateral issuance of Japanese passports for U.S. citizen children, who at the time of their kidnappings were not also citizens of Japan. Upon the kidnappers’ arrival in Japan at the conclusion of the crimes, the Japanese government unlawfully claims jurisdiction over the children. When American parents fight back by seeking the help of the U.S. government, Japan’s government counters by employing well-paid American lobbyists, lawyers, and agents to lobby Congress and work against legislation intended to assist the kidnapped American children and U.S. law enforcement. Routinely, and with no supporting evidence, Japanese officials or affiliated spokespersons falsely claim that Japanese parents kidnapped the children to flee abuse, a charge that U.S. parents find deeply offensive, libelous, and damaging to the children. Global Future condemns all perpetrators of violence and abuse in the home, regardless of their gender, nationality, or race.
The Japanese government’s apparent endorsement of this set of belligerent actions reflects poorly on Japan’s image worldwide. Abe, by visiting the U.S., is now in position to answer for it. Japan’s record of stripping defenseless American children of their U.S. Constitutional rights raises serious questions about Japan’s true intentions and worthiness as an ally. When one of our best allies subverts our sovereignty, aids and abets in the criminal kidnapping and illegal retention of defenseless American children, outrageously claims jurisdiction over the children after the unlawful acts, causes lifelong damage to the children and then alienates them by smearing their parents with false accusations, and employs paid agents to run interference against the American children and their parents, how much can this supposed ally really be trusted in any subject of mutual interest? Where is the reciprocity, shared values, and mutual respect for the rule of law?
Time is the enemy of all of these children. Wrongfully held children in Japan just grow older and more alienated from their American families, society, culture, and their US civil and constitutional rights. These mixed race children represent the future of the U.S.-Japan alliance. They represent the best bridges between our two countries, societies, and cultures. They need to be protected, cherished, and allowed to thrive. Forcibly separated from one half of their families, restricted from one parent’s love, care, guidance, and protection, and brainwashed against them, these children are destined to suffer.
Recent events in the China Sea, and in North Korea call us to consider how we will fulfill our obligations in the alliance on behalf of Japan. Should we really send our service men and women into harm’s way to protect Japan from Chinese or North Korean threats, if we can’t trust Japan to rectify the kidnappings of American children for which it is responsible?
Through his work on the issue of the abduction of Japanese by North Korea while a cabinet official under then-Prime Minister Koizumi, Abe knows very well the devastating effects of abduction. He also knows that North Korea returned surviving abduction victims to Japan. Abe could likewise rectify the criminal and destructive behavior of Japanese nationals by returning the kidnapped children to the U.S. and allowing them to have both parents again, as both parents originally agreed to before U.S. judges, in U.S. courts of law. We hope Abe will see the long-term benefit to the alliance of returning the kidnapped children to U.S. He can make a concrete offer to Obama now regarding open abduction cases, while staying on course to accede to the Hague. By doing so, he will deepen the alliance, on a basis of mutual respect, trust, shared values, and family connections.#
Kidnapped
Kidnapped
Stop parental kidnapping to Japan!
Hes at best a newcomer to the stage and has done more to disrupt left behind parents efforts to be reunited with their children as well as alienate governmental support on both sides of the Pacific. “Leading authority” is completely self proclaimed and offensives. Utilizing the abduction of a child for self image is just deplorable. Very irresponsible article.