The United States, Canada, France and the U.K. jointly urged the Japanese government Thursday to sign the Hague Convention on international child abduction, which is aimed at preventing parents from wrongfully keeping or taking their children to their countries before and after they divorce.
"Our joint statement demonstrates that very clearly Japan's allies are united in their concern regarding this tragic issue of international child abduction," said Michele Bond, a deputy assistant secretary for consular affairs for overseas citizen services at the U.S. Department of State, at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. "We are acting together at this point to ensure that our concern for the children is heard."
Diplomats from the U.S., Canadian, French and British embassies attended the press conference.