Hague Abduction Conventions enters into effect with Japan

Japan ratified the Convention on 24th January 2014 and it enters into force on 1st April 2014. Countries who were Members of the Hague Conference at the time the 1980 Hague Convention was adopted can subsequently ratify. This means that the Convention automatically enters into effect between that country and all other members at the relevant date. For countries who were not members at the relevant date they can accede to the Convention. Such accessions have to be accepted on a country by country basis. Hence South Korea has acceded but the Convention is not in force between UK and Korea because we have not accepted their accession. The Convention will enter into force between Japan and all Member States of the European Union on 1 April 2014: - With regards to Member States of the European Union that ratified the Convention, it will enter into force “automatically”. This applies to Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, UK. - For those Member States having acceded to the Convention, Japan would need to declare acceptance of their accession, which it has done in the case of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovenia. You can find more accessions that Japan has accepted in the spreadsheet showing acceptances of accessions to the Child Abduction Convention which is available at the Hague Conference website (see here).