EU議会「日本における、国家間及び国内の実子誘拐に関する決議」 採択への共同親権運動声明
２０２０年７月９日
EU議会「日本における、国際間及び国内の実子誘拐に関する決議」
採択への共同親権運動声明
共同親権運動・国家賠償請求訴訟を進める会
本日７月９日、ＥＵ議会本会議において、「日本における、国家間及び国内の実子誘拐に関する決議（European Parliament resolution on international and domestic parental abduction of EU children in Japan）」が圧倒的多数（賛成６８６、反対１、棄権８）で可決された。
私たちは日本国内の実子誘拐の被害者団体として本決議の採択を歓迎する。同時に、日本国内在住者として深く恥じ入り反省する。日本国がこのような決議を海外から突き付けられるに至るまで事態を放置させてしまったことに対し、国際社会の一員として、ことに外国出身や外国籍の拉致被害者に対し、私たちもまた責任がある。
これまで、ＥＵに限らず数多くの国が、日本の実子誘拐放置の姿勢を問う議会決議や、首脳レベルでの要請を日本に対し繰り返し行ってきた。しかしながら、日本国内の状況は、政府だけでなく、メディアも含めてかかる非難を長年にわたり黙殺してきた。
本来であれば自国民保護は日本政府が率先して行う仕事であり、外国から言われて渋々やるようなものではない。日本政府は自国民保護どころか、国内の外国出身者や、日本国籍所有者と婚姻した外国籍の親たちの訴えを無視し続け、拉致被害を拡大させてきた。その末の今日の２７カ国が属するＥＵ議会からの決議である。「内政干渉」という内向きの論理で反発するものではなく、問題の放置が国際秩序への挑戦にほかならないものとして、私たちもまた、今回の警告を受け止めるべきだ。
本決議が採択された要因となっている婚姻外単独親権制度を撤廃することを、私たちは現在、国の立法不作為の違法性を問う国家賠償請求訴訟を通じて求めている。現時点で国は現状の制度についての不備を認めず争う姿勢を示している。私たちは今回の決議に対し国際社会への謝罪以前に、この訴訟に勝ち、日本国の姿勢を改めさせることが、国際社会に対する責任であると認識している。
日本国は、国際社会や私たちの批判を素直に受け入れ、率先して実子誘拐という国家犯罪をやめ、私たちとともに国内法制度の一日も早い抜本的改正に立ち上がるべきだ。共同親権への転換に猶予はない。
【英文】
Welcoming the EU Resolution, What is Due in Action domestically?
July, 9, 2020
Joint Custody Initiative, Japan
Today, 9th of July, 2020, a plenary session of the EU Parliament was held to discuss the issue of international and domestic child abduction in Japan. By an overwhelming majority (686 in favor, 1 against, 8 abstentions), European Parliament passed the resolution on international and domestic parental abduction of EU Children in Japan.
As an organization of Japanese victims of child abduction, we hereby welcome this resolution. At the same time, as nationals of Japan, we are deeply ashamed and regret that this should have happened. As members of the international community, we are ashamed and feel responsible to the victims of abduction of foreign origin and nationality, for allowing Japan to leave the situation unchecked until such a resolution was brought to our face from abroad.
A number of countries, not just the EU, have passed parliamentary resolutions, sometimes making requests at national head levels, questioning Japan’s stance on leaving parental abduction unquestioned. While rebuked by such criticism for many years, neither the Japanese government nor the media have taken up this issue. Instead, they continued the attitude of ignoring.
On principle, it is the duty of a government to protect its citizens. It is not something for the government to be “coerced into” by foreign demands. The Japanese government, however, is not only failing to protect and secure the safety of its own citizens, but has kept ignoring the claims from foreign parents who married Japanese nationals, which has resulted in a soaring number of victims of parental child abduction to this day. We take today’s resolution solemnly coming from the European Parliament that includes 27 countries. Instead of regarding this as an interference to internal affairs, we should take it as a warning that abandoning the issue as it exits now, is nothing less than a serious challenge to international order.
Through a class action lawsuit against the country, we are claiming its neglect on proper legislative action, urging the state to eliminate the legal system of single custody for parents outside wedlock which is a factor behind the EU resolution that was issued today. The government so far has denied its responsibility, not acknowledging any flaws in its family law and national system. In response to today’s EU resolution and, before any apologies, we take it as our duty for the international community to win this legal battle and thus begin the necessary change in the attitude from the Japanese government.
We hope for our country to accept the criticisms from the international community in due course and to take the lead in ending the national crime of child abduction. We need to stand together with the rest of the world to make fundamental changes to our domestic legal system as soon as possible. There is no respite for a shift to joint custody.
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