Crime and Punishment

Metropolis Letter to the Editor
Source: http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/620/mailbox.asp

I just finished reading Kevin Buckland’s article, “Think of the Children” (Jan 27). My Japanese wife (soon to be ex-wife) took our daughter out of Canada to Japan in May 2005 and I haven’t seen my daughter since. No telephone conversations, no letters, nothing. I have ruined myself financially trying to get my daughter back.

I suspected that my wife would take our daughter away, so I took action. A court in Manitoba ruled that she was to turn over both of my daughter’s passports “forthwith” and that she was not to remove our daughter from the province of Manitoba without my written and notarized approval, but she did anyway. There was no mechanism in place to enforce her to submit the passports.

I do not think it is enough for people to take legal action to prevent their Japanese spouses from taking their children out of their country. They will find a way. I’m sure a Japanese embassy would happily produce passports with new names on them for any Japanese citizen desiring to kidnap her or his children.

My daughter was taken away from me on her fourth birthday. I guess my wife thought that would twist the knife a little deeper. Yes I am guilty. I am guilty of not making my spoiled wife “happy,” and my punishment is never to see my daughter grow up. My daughter’s punishment—who knows what emotional and psychological issues this will cause? I feel ill just writing this. The pain doesn’t go away with time, it only gets worse.—Mike Hebb (Manitoba, Canada)