On the FBI's Web site there is a section for "parental kidnapping," listing parents, including Japanese women, wanted for allegedly kidnapping their own children.
Japan has been the target of international criticism for not signing the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which aims to secure the prompt return of children wrongfully taken out of the country of their "habitual residence" by a parent.
After the Democratic Party of Japan took power last year, government leaders started giving serious consideration to signing the treaty, but experts are divided on whether this would be a good idea. Some say Japan should join as soon as possible, but many — even those who basically favor the convention — have expressed concern, citing systemic, legal and cultural differences. With so much at stake, it doesn't seem likely Japan will be signing the treaty anytime soon.