Japanese MPs condemn child abductions, call on Australia to pressure Tokyo

Tokyo: A leading Japanese MP and former minister in Shinzo Abe’s government has condemned his country’s sole custody system, declaring it an embarrassment, while appealing to the Australian government to publicly call out laws that have torn families apart.

Masahiko Shibayama, the deputy secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, called on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to address the issue and said only international pressure would change the country’s century-old system.

Deputy secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party Masahiko Shibayama has called on the Prime Minister to change the law.Credit: Jack Donohoe

“This is a very strong and serious human rights issue,” said Shibayama, former Japanese education minister and vice minister for foreign affairs. “The European Union and the United Nations are advising Japan to change this situation. So, I think we must take on such advice.”

French authorities have identified more than 100 abducted children; the United States 475; while hundreds of thousands of Japanese children have been abducted by their mothers or fathers in Japan.

Eighty-two Australian children have been snatched by their Japanese parent and hidden from their Australian families since 2004. The situation has driven generations of Australian parents to breaking point. They now argue the Albanese government’s strategy of quiet diplomacy with one of its closest military, economic and diplomatic partners on this issue has failed.

The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes on Sunday revealed that Japanese police have routinely ignored Interpol missing person notices and do not enforce visitation orders.

Shibayama said police enforcement had collapsed under the weight of thousands of abductions each year.

“In lots of cases, police won’t work because it’s very, very usual for the parents to abduct a child and leave their homes,” he said.

Describing the situation as an embarrassment for Japan, Shibayama said the mood had shifted within the Liberal Democratic Party towards reforming the system that gives one parent total control over a child’s future. Sole custody is often awarded to the parent who was last with the child, triggering a race to abduct them first.

Shibayama said he was very sorry for what the government had done to families.

“We have very, very serious requests from parents, grandmas, and grandfathers who lost their children and grandchildren,” he said.

“Nowadays, more and more people divorce, and such unhappy children are increasing very rapidly. So, under this very old family system, lots of families will face a very serious crisis.”

Japanese upper house councillor Mizuho Umemura said it was time for public international pressure.

“We can’t change the law on our own. We need international help,” the Japan Innovation Party MP said. “The victims of this are the children.”

Japanese Innovation Party MP Mizuho Umemura has called on Australia to raise the issue in Japan.Credit: Jack Donohoe

Umemura and Shibayama urged Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise the issue publicly in Japan.

“This is casting a shadow over our good relationship with each other and Australia is an important country for Japan in many ways,” said Umemura. “It’s unfortunate that we have this hovering over our good relationship at a time when geopolitics is so important.”

Umemura accused the Liberal Democratic Party of running away from the issue.

“They push it down the road, they push it down to the next person,” she said. “I am also a mother myself. My heart breaks for the parents and children.”

“The Japanese government has done this to them: I want to apologise to the parents. A lot of them have committed suicide because they can’t see their children.”

The Australian government has lodged a submission with the Japanese government’s ongoing review of the system, urging them to change their laws. Foreign Minister Penny Wong signed off on the submission, but she has been reluctant to criticise the Japanese government publicly.

In a statement, she said the Australian government had encouraged Japan to find a solution that allowed children to maintain meaningful relationships with both parents.

“I understand that the pain and distress these families are feeling is immense,” she said.

“We welcome Japan considering a range of family law reforms, and Australia has made a submission to Japan’s Ministry of Justice’s Family Law Review in support of an approach that allows for shared parenting.”

A spokesman for the Japanese embassy in Australia defended the system.

“The Japanese government prioritises the best interests of the child when dealing with child custody issues, and meets its international obligations,” the spokesman said.

Crisis support is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Watch the 60 Minutes report.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.