Regarding the Oct. 16 article "Fukuoka cops free American who tried to get kids back": I am glad to see coverage of this and at least the mention of Japan's refusal to sign the Hague Convention. Japan refuses to recognize the family law of other foreign countries and allows the abduction of children if a parent is of Japanese citizenry. Many Japanese people are not aware of this, although they are very aware of the past abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents.
I have lived in Japan for 19 years. My children were abducted and taken from me five years ago by my estranged wife. There could not be a father who has a more grounded relationship with his children than I had. I worked at home and took care of my daughters as a mother would. One day I went to pick them up at the bus stop, as always, and they were gone. My wife divorced me by entering divorce papers without my knowledge, claiming that I had been violent. She disappeared with my children without letting me know her whereabouts and the Japanese government protected her. Not one person ever asked me for my side of the story.
Even my ex-wife's own family tried to pay my attorney's fees because they knew I was the better parent, but the lawyers all told me I had no chance. Besides, how could I take her to court when she was not locatable? Any court in its right mind that heard my case and heard the details of the emotional state that she was in at the time would have favored me, and at least guaranteed the right of my children to visit their father.
Since then, my children have gone to live with their grandparents. I have seen them just a few short times in secret. It has been more than a year since I last saw them. They only live an hour away, yet I am not allowed to see them. If I had $20,000, I would take my ex-wife to court right now, but I still wouldn't get custody since I am a foreigner. Even if the court gave me visitation rights, it is unable to enforce them and my children could just as easily disappear again.
This is a ridiculous tragedy. My relationship with my children should be treated as sacred, yet I am unable to share my love with them as they grow up in this crazy world. Even normal divorce in Japan shows little concern for the children. It's often as if one parent is expected to "disappear" from their lives.