In 58 Years Japan Has Never Returned a Child

In 58 Years Japan Has Never Returned a Child

Commander Paul Toland, USN
January 2010

As we embark upon a New Year, the many parents with children abducted to Japan want to thank David and the BSH Foundation for bringing attention to the plight of Left Behind Parents throughout the world. For years, the issue of International Parental Child Abduction received little or no attention, but now, thanks to David and the BSH Foundation, people around the world are starting to pay attention.

For those of you who are new to this forum, Japan is a particularly troubling country. Since the post World War II occupation of Japan ended on April 28, 1952, and a sovereign Japanese Government was established, Japan has NEVER returned a single abducted child to ANY foreign country. Every one of the thousands of children abducted to Japan over the past 58 years has remain detained in Japan, making Japan quite literally a black hole from which no abducted child has ever returned.

The State Department would rather not draw attention to the issue of child abduction, especially in a country like Japan, which is such an economic powerhouse and strategic partner in the Pacific. The uphill battle we face in Japan is enormous, but we think we can make a difference. We plan to influence American public opinion as David has so effectively done, and work closely with our Congressional Representatives to force the State Department to put real pressure on Japan to return the more than 130 children abducted to, or wrongfully retained in Japan. We look forward to a close association with all of the great supporters at the BSH Foundation in the coming year.

For more information on the Japan Child Abduction issue, go view some of the cases posted to the International Abduction Cases section of the the Bring Sean Home Forums and join Isaac and Rebecca Savoie’s Facebook group titled “Help Bring Isaac and Rebecca Savoie Home.” and Erika Toland’s Facebook group “Help Bring Erika Toland Home”