Information for Mediation regarding Agreement on the Return of Child and Parents' Access to Child Conducted by the Dispute Resolution Center of the Tokyo Bar Association
The Tokyo Bar Association has established and operates the 'Dispute Resolution Center' as an alternative dispute resolution organization for the purpose of facilitating swift, fair and reasonable resolution of civil matters through simple procedures.
At the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan [the Central Authority of Japan], the Center provides mediation of the Hague Convention aiming at agreement on the return of child and on the visit to or other parents' access to child in cases of child being removed to or retained in Japan from overseas locations.
You will attend mediation date using either the Internet television conference system or international telephone and discuss matters, basically, free of fee within four dates.
This is a specialized mediation different from the procedure for the normal mediation of this Center.
1 Parties involved
The case to be applied has to be the case under the determination of the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, which is in charge of the receipt of applications for this support. The applicant will not be only a parent [or a person entitled to custody of the child] currently residing outside Japan whose child has been removed to or retained in Japan, but also a parent [or a person taking actual care of the child] residing in Japan who removed his/her child to or retained in Japan.
2 Language
Mediation will be conducted in Japanese or in English, and the service of the translation and the interpretation is both available. But, as a general rule, only lawyers under the Japanese law are allowed to participate in the mediation session as attorneys for the parties.
3 Content of mediation
The aim is to facilitate the formation of agreement on the return of a child and on parents' access between the applicant who resides outside Japan and the respondent who resides in Japan. You will discuss child-support payments, the divorce, or other issue about a family in the session by common consent.
4 Mediation Procedures
5 Method of Application
Before applying for mediation, please click the "Information for Applicants" and make sure
that you understand the process. If you apply for mediation, please click the "Application Form,"fill it out, and send it to the Center by clicking the "Confirm" button at the bottom of the form.
After submitting the application form, you will be asked to submit to the Center the "Notice of Decision for Assistance" issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, evidence, and other
related documents by e-mail. The Center will notify you of the e-mail address to which the
documents are to be sent.
- (Click here) [Information for Applicants]
- (Click here) [Information for Respondents]
- (Click here) [Application Form]
6 Selection of mediator
The Dispute Resolution Center will select two mediators from the list of mediator candidates below. The parties may select a mediator or both mediators from it by common consent.
7 Contact details
Tokyo Bar Association Dispute Resolution Center-Secretariat
1-1-3 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0013
If you have questions, please click here to submit your inquiry to the Center.