Japan has, at long last, elected to ratify the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. 

READ MORE: Japan signs up to global child custody pact, BBC News (May 20, 2011). Japan Closer to Giving Rights to Foreign Parents, NYT (May 20, 2011).  requires overhaul of Japan’s family law system. Japan takes a step closer to reforming its child custody laws, CNN (May 21, 2011).