State Department Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Visits Japan

Ambassador Susan Jacobs met Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Ikuo Yamahana on Feb. 7 (photo courtesy of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Feb. 15 - Ambassador Susan Jacobs, Special Advisor for Children's Issues in the Department of State, visited Japan for meetings Feb. 7-8 to answer questions regarding the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. She met with officials in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice, Diet members, American parents who have been denied access to their children, the press, and non-governmental organizations. The United States has urged Japan to ratify the Hague Abduction Convention and join the 84 signatory countries in combating international parental child abduction. The Convention protects the best interests of the child by providing a mechanism to resolve custodial issues by rule of law, while striving to ensure that a child has access to both parents.