‘Extremely painful’: Canberra calls for action from Tokyo on Japan’s abducted children

The Coalition will offer bipartisan support for stronger Australian government action against Japanese child abductions, as Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the pain that Australian families are experiencing as “immense”.

In their strongest comments to date on a growing international dispute between Australia and one of its closest trading partners, Wong and opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said they wanted children who had been abducted by their Japanese parent to be reunited with their Australian families.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong in Parliament House. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“These situations are extremely painful for those parents directly affected,” Birmingham said. “Hearing their stories and years of struggle is deeply impactful.”

In March, this masthead and 60 Minutes revealed at least 82 Australian children had been taken by their Japanese parent since 2004. Dozens have disappeared without ever being able to contact their Australian parent again. Under Japan’s sole custody laws, one parent has total control over the child – including the ability to hide their location from the other parent and cut them off from visitation.

“Our focus, as with family law in Australia, must always be to promote the best interests of Australian children, including the ideal of maintaining relations with both parents wherever that is both safe and possible,” Birmingham said.

“The Coalition would offer bipartisan support to any action by the Australian government which improves this situation with a focus on the best interests of the children.”

The issue is highly sensitive for the Australian government. Canberra is attempting to balance its relationship with Tokyo, its most important economic, military and diplomatic partner in Asia, at the same time as it manages its duty of care to Australian citizens who have lost contact with their children for decades.

The Japanese government is reviewing the century-old laws and a decision is expected by the end of this year. The laws were designed to protect women fleeing domestic violence in the early 20th century but are now being used by men and women to legally abduct their children.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs warns Australian residents and visitors to Japan that Japanese courts “usually give sole custody to the parent that has taken care of the child most recently”, triggering a race to snatch children as relationships sour.

Wong met with one of the Japanese government’s fiercest critics of its response to child abductions on Thursday. The meeting with opposition MP Mizuho Umemura in Canberra – a break from diplomatic protocol – followed months of growing pressure on the Australian government to do more to address a situation that has frustrated both Coalition and Labor governments for the past two decades.

Catherine Henderson and Japanese upper house Councillor Mizuho Umemura in front of Parliament House last week. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“They discussed Japan’s consideration of family law reform, and Australia’s support for an approach that allows for shared parenting,” a spokesperson for the foreign minister said.

Wong also met with Australian mother Catherine Henderson, who last saw her then 10-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter four years ago in Tokyo when they were suddenly taken by their Japanese father from their family home.

“This year is a really important year,” said Henderson. “It’s not just the 82 Australian children, the fact is, it’s happening all through Japanese society. It’s terrible.”

After years of quiet diplomacy, the Australian government has become increasingly active in recent months in pushing Tokyo to enact reforms on what has historically been viewed as a domestic policy issue.

Australia is one of seven countries including the United Kingdom that have written to Japan urging it to push through reforms, but the letter has yet to be released publicly.

Birmingham, who also met with Henderson and Umemura in Canberra, said he encouraged the Albanese government to be more transparent about its efforts to secure positive reforms from Japan’s current review of its child custody laws.

Wong raised the concerns of Australian parents with her Japanese counterpart Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi earlier this year. The Australian embassy also lobbied Japan’s Justice Minister Ken Saito before sending in a submission to Japan’s family law review that has also yet to be made public.

Birmingham’s support now gives Wong political cover to ramp up public pressure on Japan.

“She understands the pain and distress these families are feeling is immense,” Wong’s spokesperson said.

“The Australian government will continue to engage with affected families and with the Japanese government to support these families to be reunited.”

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