Child abduction treaty to take effect in Japan

By Chiyomi Sumida

Stars and Stripes

Published: March 31, 2014

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A treaty aimed a preventing cross-border parental kidnapping takes effect Tuesday in Japan after years of pressure from the international community.

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction — which was first ratified in 1980 — requires a parent who flees with a child to another country to evade a custody dispute to return that child to his or her home of habitual residence.

In recent years, child custody disputes have become a larger problem in Japan. As of 2012, there were more than 190 known cases in which foreign governments have urged Japan to return children who were abducted to Japan by their Japanese parents. An additional 80 cases have been reported where children were taken out of Japan by their non-Japanese parents, according to a report compiled by the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense at the House of Councilors.

Japan ratified the treaty in January.

Becoming a signatory of the pact obligates Japan to provide assistance in locating the child and, if possible, to achieve a voluntary return of the child or an amicable resolution of the dispute.

The treaty will not be applied to the cases to return children who have been already in Japan after being removed from their original residence. However, the government will assist parents who seek to gain access to their children in Japan, according to a spokesman for the Hague Convention Affairs Office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

sumida.chiyomi@stripes.com

Upcoming military conferences highlight Hawaii's key role in Pacific

Two big military conferences are coming to Hawaii this week and next that highlight the state's strategic importance in the pivot to the Pacific.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will convene the first-ever U.S.-hosted meeting of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) defense ministers Tuesday to Thursday, devoting a substantial amount of time in Hawaii to the Asia region that has grown economically and militarily in importance.

The 10 Southeast Asian member nations are sending representatives who will discuss with Hagel growing tensions in the South China Sea, calls for maritime "rules of the road," and the need to cooperate on humanitarian assistance in the disaster-prone Pacific.

ASEAN, created in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, later grew to include Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Cambodia.

The defense ministers will tour the USS Anchorage, a $1.3 billion amphibious ship commissioned in May and based in San Diego that can transport Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, Marines and landing craft to trouble spots or humanitarian disasters. They'll also see an Osprey fly, according to the Pentagon.

Increasing the Defense Department's engagement with ASEAN members has been a priority for Hagel, "and working with the Pacific Command commander, Adm. (Samuel) Locklear, the secretary has been very focused on making this upcoming gathering, which is itself historic, a success," Rear Adm. John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday.

From Hawaii, Hagel will travel to Japan, make his first trip to China as defense secretary, and also visit Mongolia.

For the second year in a row, meanwhile, the Association of the United States Army, in conjunction with U.S. Army Pacific, headquartered at Fort Shafter, will hold its Land Power in the Pacific conference in Hawaii.

This year's LANPAC will be held April 8-10 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.

A total of 27 countries were invited, and army chiefs or representatives from 15 countries have indicated they are coming, U.S. Army Pacific said.

Russia will not attend this year as a result of the Pentagon's decision to "put on hold" military-to-military activities with Russia over its actions in Ukraine, the Army command said.

Nations sending representatives include Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Tonga, Timor Leste, the United Kingdom and Sweden.

China wasn't invited because it's only the second iteration of LANPAC, and "we'd like to further develop this conference a bit more before China attends," said Jim Guzior, a spokesman for U.S. Army Pacific.

"We're looking at multiple avenues to work with China," Guzior added. "LANPAC will certainly be a vehicle to enhance that relationship."

Last year's LANPAC deepened relations among the U.S. Army, regional allies and partners, and "joint land partners" including Marine Corps Forces Pacific and Special Operations Command Pacific, Guzior said.

"This was evident as we witnessed the maturity of these relationships during the response to the typhoon that hit the Philippines" in improved speed in response and recovery efforts, he said.

The reason both conferences are being held in Hawaii is because of the state's forward presence in the Pacific — the focus of the so-called "pivot" or "rebalance" — and co-location of major U.S. military commands here.

Hagel is making his fourth trip to Asia in a year, "further evidence of the secretary's personal commitment to the president's rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region," the Pentagon's Kirby said.

"We are a Pacific nation, and Hawaii has been critical to our ability to operate in the Pacific, and it will be essential going forward," said Carl Woog, the Pentagon's assistant press secretary. "So it was an appropriate setting for the first time that ASEAN defense ministers have come to the United States, for them to come to Hawaii."

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS in Honolulu, affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said President Barack Obama has met at the summit level with ASEAN prime ministers on a number of occasions.

The meeting in Hawaii reflects the growing importance of the ASEAN defense ministerial meetings and those of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, which bring together the 10 nations and eight other countries as "dialogue partners" — Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, India, the United States and Russia, Cossa said.

"First of all, the symbolism is very important," Cossa said. "The fact that we're inviting all the defense ministers to Hawaii — and they are coming — shows a desire of both us and them to tighten not only political ties with ASEAN, but defense and security ties as well."

Hagel attended the 18-nation meeting in Brunei in August.

Hagel will host the defense ministers Tuesday night and meet with them Wednesday at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center on Ford Island.

Discussions there will be focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief led by Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

"The focus there is on what the United States and our ASEAN partners can do together to be better positioned for HA/DR missions," reflecting on Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and the recent loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Woog said at the Pentagon.

Woog said the NOAA center is appropriate given climate change is likely to play a role in future disasters.

Locklear, the Pacific Command commander, will host the defense ministers for lunch, and then the group will tour the USS Anchorage at Pearl Harbor and see an Osprey fly, Woog said.

The ASEAN group will get a sense of the Anchorage's ability to help in a disaster, but Cossa also said the technology will demonstrate "that we're still the most powerful military in the world."

At Hickam, C-17 cargo and P-3 Orion surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capabilities will be on display. That night will include dinner at the Bishop Museum, with Gov. Neil Abercrombie expected to attend.

On Thursday, the final day of the conference, discussions will focus on regional security issues, maritime "rules of the road," maritime security, and issues in the South China Sea, Woog said.

Cossa said the Asia-Pacific defense meetings in Hawaii — along with Rim of the Pacific war games this summer, in which 22 or more nations are expected to participate — send several messages.

One is that "we're actually serious about the pivot or rebalance" and while defense officials are "cutting corners here and trying to save dollars on the sidelines, they were serious when they said they were going to provide the necessary resources for the Pacific Command to do what it needs to do," Cossa said.

The upcoming conferences and RIMPAC demonstrate that, Cossa maintains.

"So it shows that we're serious about defense cooperation, we're serious about maintaining a presence and being a primary factor in Asia," Cossa said. "Hawaii, of course, is where all of the commands, not just Pacific Command, but also all the component commands are. So obviously Hawaii is a central place for that reason alone, and this just sort of underscores that Hawaii continues to be a primary location for U.S. power projection, if you will, into Asia."

South Korea returns fire from North near disputed sea boundary

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Monday returned fire into North Korean waters after shells from a North Korean live-fire drill fell south of the rivals' disputed western sea boundary, a South Korean military official said.

No shells from either side were fired at any land or military installations, an official with South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. He provided no other details and spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules.

The exchange of fire followed Pyongyang's earlier, unusual announcement that it would conduct the drills, a move seen as an expression of Pyongyang's frustration at making little progress in its recent push to win outside aid.

The North in recent weeks has increased threatening rhetoric and conducted a series of rocket and ballistic missile launches that are considered acts of protest against annual ongoing springtime military exercises by Seoul and Washington. The North calls the South Korea-U.S. drills a rehearsal for invasion; the allies say they're routine and defensive.

Pyongyang threatened Sunday to conduct a fourth nuclear test at some point, though Seoul says there are no signs of an imminent detonation.

After the North's earlier announcement Monday that it would conduct firing drills in seven areas north of the sea boundary, South Korea responded that it would strongly react if provoked.

Pyongyang routinely test-fires artillery and missiles into the ocean, but it's rare for the country to disclose such training plans in advance. Wee Yong-sub, a deputy spokesman at the South Korean Defense Ministry, said the North Korean message was a "hostile" attempt to heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula.

The poorly marked western sea boundary has been the scene of several bloody naval skirmishes between the Koreas in recent years. In 2010, North Korea launched artillery strikes on a front-line South Korean island near the boundary, killing four. Pyongyang said it was responding to earlier South Korea's artillery drills that day.

Last spring, tension spiked after a near-daily barrage of North Korean threats, including warnings of nuclear strikes against Seoul and Washington, following international criticism of Pyongyang's third nuclear test in February of last year. The North has since gradually dialed down its threats and sought improved ties with South Korea in what foreign analysts say is an attempt to lure international investment and aid. There has been no major breakthrough in the North's reported push to win outside aid, however, with Washington and Seoul calling on the North to first take disarmament steps to prove its sincerity about improving ties, analysts say.

The North Korean live-fire drills and the country's hints at a nuclear test are meant to express anger and frustration over what the North sees as little improvement in progress in its ties with South Korea and the U.S., said Lim Eul Chul, a North Korea expert at South Korea's Kyungnam University. Lim said the North might conduct a fourth nuclear test and launch other provocations to try to wrest the outside concessions it wants.

The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea to deter potential aggression from North Korea.

US, Russia talks fail to end Ukraine deadlock

PARIS — The United States and Russia agreed Sunday that the crisis in Ukraine requires a diplomatic resolution, but four hours of talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov failed to break a tense East-West deadlock over how to proceed.

Sitting face-to-face but not seeing eye-to-eye on any of the most critical issues, Kerry and Lavrov advanced far- different proposals on how to calm tensions and de-escalate the situation, particularly as Russia continues to mass troops along its border with the former Soviet republic. As he called for Moscow to begin an immediate pullback of the troops, Kerry also ruled out discussion of Russia's demand for Ukraine to become a loose federation until-and-unless Ukrainians are at the table.

"The Russian troop buildup is creating a climate of fear and intimidation in Ukraine," Kerry told reporters at the home of the U.S. ambassador to France after the meeting, which was held at the Russian ambassador's residence and included a working dinner. "It certainly does not create the climate that we need for dialogue."

The U.S. believes the massing of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, ostensibly for military exercises, along the border is at once an attempt to intimidate Ukraine's new leaders after Russia's annexation of the strategic Crimean peninsula and to use a bargaining chip with the United States and the European Union, which have condemned Crimea's absorption into Russia and imposed sanctions on senior Russian officials.

Kerry noted that even if the troops remain on Russian soil and do not enter Ukraine, they create a negative atmosphere.

"The question is not one of right or legality," he said. "The question is one of strategic appropriateness and whether it's smart at this moment of time to have troops massed on the border."

U.S. officials said Kerry proposed a number of ideas on troop withdrawals from the border and that Lavrov, while making no promises, told him he would present the proposals to the Kremlin.

At a separate news conference at the Russian ambassador's house, Lavrov did not address the troop issue. Instead, he made the case for Moscow's idea of Ukraine as a federalized nation with its various regions enjoying major autonomy from the government in Kiev. Russia says it is particularly concerned about the treatment of ethnic Russians and Russian speakers who live in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Lavrov said that Ukraine can't function as a "unified state" and should be a loose federation of regions that are each allowed to choose their own economic, financial, social, linguistic and religious models.

He said every time Ukraine has elected a new president, the country has adopted a new constitution, proving that "the model of a unified state doesn't work."

Ukrainian officials are wary of decentralizing power, fearing that pro-Russia regions would hamper its Western aspirations and potentially split the country apart. However, they are exploring political reforms that could grant more authority to local governments.

The U.S. has been coy about their position on a federation. Washington has encouraged ongoing political and constitutional reform efforts that the government in Kiev is now working on but U.S. officials insist that any changes to Ukraine's governing structure must be acceptable to the Ukrainians.

Kerry said the federation idea had not been discussed in any serious way during his meeting with Lavrov "because it would have been inappropriate to do so without Ukrainian input."

"It is not up to us to make any decision or agreement regarding federalization," he said. "It is up to Ukrainians."

"We will not accept a path forward where the legitimate government of Ukraine is not at the table," Kerry said, adding that the bottom line is: "No decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine."

Lavrov denied that Moscow wants to "split Ukraine."

"Federation does not mean, as some in Kiev fear, an attempt to split Ukraine," he said. "To the contrary, federation ... answers the interests of all regions of Ukraine."

Lavrov said he and Kerry did agree to work with the Ukrainian government to improve rights for Russian-speaking Ukrainians and disarm "irregular forces and provocateurs."

Sunday's meeting was hastily arranged 48 hours after U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone in a conversation in which Obama urged Putin to withdraw his troops from the border with Ukraine. Putin, who initiated the call, asserted that Ukraine's government is allowing extremists to intimidate ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking civilians with impunity — something Ukraine insists is not happening.

That call did little to reassure U.S. officials that Russia is not planning to invade Ukraine after its annexation of Crimea that the West has condemned as illegal and a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The United States and Europe have imposed sanctions on senior Russian officials in response, sparking reciprocal moves from Moscow.

In the interview with Russian television, Lavrov called the sanctions a "dead-end" strategy that would not achieve results and accused the West of hypocrisy. He said it was inconsistent for the west to refuse to recognize Crimea's annexation, which followed a referendum on joining Russia that was overwhelmingly approved, while at the same time accepting the new government in Kiev, which was formed after the pro-Moscow president fled the country.

The idea for Sunday's meeting was for Lavrov to present Russia's responses to a U.S. proposal to de-escalate the tensions that covers Ukrainian political and constitutional reforms as well as the disarmament of irregular forces, international monitors to protect minority rights and direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, according to U.S. officials, who say it has backing of Ukraine's government.

U.S. officials said Russia appeared to show some interest in the Ukrainian reform program, but Moscow's insistence on a federated state left it unclear if they would support it.

Kerry and Lavrov have met several times in person and have spoken by phone almost daily since the crisis began but have not yet been able to agree on a way forward. The pair met last week in The Hague, where Kerry presented Lavrov with the proposal, which was a response to ideas Lavrov gave him at a March 14 meeting in London.

___

Associated Press writer Angela Charlton contributed to this report.

North Korea conducts live-fire drills near disputed sea boundary

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has fired artillery shells into North Korean waters in response to North Korean shells from a live-fire drill that fell in waters south of the rivals' disputed western sea boundary.

An official with South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says that no North Korean shells hit any land or military installations Monday. He says that South responded with artillery fire. He gave no details and spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules.

The exchange of fire follows Pyongyang's earlier, unusual announcement that it would conduct the drills, a move seen as an expression of Pyongyang's frustration at making little progress in its recent push to win outside aid.

Pyongyang also threatened to conduct a fourth nuclear test, though Seoul says it isn't imminent.

Pyongyang routinely test-fires artillery and missiles into the ocean, but it's rare for the country to disclose such training plans in advance. Wee Yong-sub, a deputy spokesman at the South Korean Defense Ministry, said the North Korean message was a "hostile" attempt to heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula.

The poorly marked western sea boundary has been the scene of several bloody naval skirmishes between the Koreas in recent years. In 2010, North Korea launched artillery strikes on a front-line South Korean island near the boundary, killing four. Pyongyang said it was responding to earlier South Korea's artillery drills that day.

Last spring, tension spiked after a near-daily barrage of North Korean threats, including warnings of nuclear strikes against Seoul and Washington, following international criticism of Pyongyang's third nuclear test in February of last year. The North has since gradually dialed down its threats and sought improved ties with South Korea in what foreign analysts say is an attempt to lure international investment and aid. There has been no major breakthrough in the North's reported push to win outside aid, however, with Washington and Seoul calling on the North to first take disarmament steps to prove its sincerity about improving ties, analysts say.

The North Korean live-fire drills notification and the country's hints at a nuclear test are meant to express anger and frustration over what the North sees as little improvement in progress in its ties with South Korea and the U.S., said Lim Eul Chul, a North Korea expert at South Korea's Kyungnam University. Lim said the North might conduct a fourth nuclear test and launch other provocations to try to wrest the outside concessions it wants.

The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea to deter potential aggression from North Korea.

Senator asks for WTC security review after daredevil jump

NEW YORK — Sen. Charles Schumer stood by the World Trade Center on Sunday, demanding that federal officials review security after daredevils twice sneaked to the top of the site's signature, 104-story skyscraper.

Schumer's request comes after a teenager was charged with climbing to the top of the 1,776-foot spire of 1 World Trade Center, three skydiving enthusiasts turned themselves in to face charges in a September jump off the building, and a newspaper published a photo of a guard apparently sleeping on the job.

"What is going on here?" asked Schumer.

The New York Democrat wants the Department of Homeland Security to monitor the performance and training of trade center security guards, in addition to testing surveillance equipment and checking the perimeter for possible illegal entry points.

Schumer said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the 16-acre site, is responsible for any security breaches.

"They're the public authority in charge of this; I'm holding them responsible," Schumer said during a news conference on Sunday.

In a pair of statements Sunday, Port Authority security chief Joseph Dunne called the lapses "unacceptable" and invited Homeland Security officials to tour the site again "in light of recent security breaches."

Dunne said the Port Authority and the Durst Organization, which manages 1 World Trade Center and provides private security for the building still under construction, "have taken significant steps" to address the lapses.

David Velazquez, the assistant security director for Durst, resigned on Friday.

Dunne noted that the two reported breaches are unrelated. "Each involved different means of accessing the site," he said, without elaborating.

A "Phase 1" review of site security was submitted to DHS in November and is currently under review, Dunne said. A "Phase 2" application with measures including fences, closed-circuit television, perimeter patrol and access control is being prepared, he said.

Schumer was not satisfied.

"I do not feel we can leave it up to the Port Authority to say, 'Oh, we've corrected it, never mind,'" the senator said. "There have been too many breaches."

Schumer said he's pleased the New York Police Department is also participating in the security review and that Dunne, the PA security chief, is a former NYPD First Deputy Commissioner.

The New York Post published a photo Wednesday that showed a guard in a bright-green security vest leaning back in a chair, legs crossed and head tilted back. A Durst Organization spokesman told the paper the guard was fired immediately.

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said the image of the sleeping guard is an "extraordinary embarrassment."

"You'll see security levels enhanced significantly on that site," Bratton told WABC television on Sunday.

The commissioner said police were looking for possible accomplices who may have helped the parachuters enter the high-rise.

"They didn't walk up," Bratton said. "They had assistance getting in and out of there, and we're continuing our investigations as to who helped them get up there."

Japan, US to create new defense body for disputed islands

WASHINGTON - Japan and the United States plan to create a permanent consultative body to coordinate the operations of the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military in the face of China's highhanded actions over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japanese and U.S. government sources said.

The envisaged body is expected to help Japan and the United States deal quickly with situations in and around the islands that cannot be clearly identified as armed attacks, the sources said.

Establishment of the consultative body will be included in revisions to the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation scheduled for the end of the year.

Revised in 1997, the current guidelines stipulate that Japan and the United States will closely coordinate joint action through a consultative body in the event of an emergency involving Japan or situations in surrounding areas that could develop into armed attacks on the country if no measures are taken.

Based on this, Tokyo and Washington agreed in 2000 to create a director-level joint coordination group comprising bureaucrats and military officers from both sides to decide on policies concerning Japan's provision of additional facilities to the U.S. military and logistical support, as well as a Japan-U.S. joint coordination office to exchange information and coordinate operations of the SDF and U.S. forces. But their establishment has not yet been made permanent.

During their talks to review the current guidelines, foreign and defense officials from both sides stated that there is a need to create a permanent coordination body when they went over desktop military exercises and exchanged opinions on how quasi-military attacks on Japan should be handled.

Experts predict that an attempt by China to seize the Senkakus would very likely begin with the landing of armed personnel disguised as fishermen. The prediction has prompted the Japanese side to demand enhancement of the Japan-U.S. partnership to deal with such ambiguous situations. Meanwhile, the U.S. side also expects the permanent consultative body's establishment to aid in the coordination of operations with Japan in the event of a major disaster or if tensions begin to escalate on the Korean Peninsula.

However, Japan once declined a U.S. proposal to create the body in 2006 when North Korea test-launched seven missiles, including a long-range ballistic missile, due to fears the move might be seen by Pyongyang as a provocation.

In October last year, however, the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee comprising foreign and defense ministers of the two countries, also known as two-plus-two, agreed in its joint statement on the review of the defense guidelines to make the consultation and coordination framework between them flexible, responsive and integrated.