The “Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons” was adopted by the Council of Europe in 1983 with the aim of establishing a system for transferring sentenced foreign nationals to their home countries to serve their sentences there.
  In Japan, the Act on Transnational Transfer of Sentenced Persons (Act No. 66 of 2002) was enacted in 2002. Having obtained the approval of the Diet, Japan deposited an instrument of accession to conclude the Convention in February 2003, and it came into effect in Japan in June 2003. Under this act, foreign sentenced persons were transferred for the first time in 2004. A total of 16 sentenced persons were transferred in 2006, and the breakdown was seven British sentenced persons, three French, two Americans, one Canadian, one Italian, one Spaniard, and one German. In April of 2006, Japan accepted the first transfer of a Japanese sentenced person, who had been serving his/her sentence in the U.S. (Source: The Correction Bureau, Ministry of Justice). In Asia, South Korea followed Japan to join the Convention in July 2005 (put into effect in November 2005), enabling the transfer of sentenced persons between Japan and South Korea. Furthermore, in July 2006, the Minister of Justice visited China and talked with the Chinese Head of the Justice Department, and proposed to continue discussions toward the conclusion of the treaty concerning the transfer of sentenced persons between Japan and China. Also, at the time of the Chinese premier's visit to Japan in April 2007, it was agreed between the top leaders of Japan and China that consultation would be continuously promoted on the matters for the conclusion of the treaty concerning the transfer of sentenced persons.
  In November 2006, it was officially agreed that Japan and Thailand would start negotiation towards the conclusion of the treaty concerning the transfer of sentenced persons between Japan and Thailand.