It seems to me--if the Japanese government thinks it is okay for a Japanese mother to take her children out of her foreign husband's country and hide in Japan, it should be okay for a foreign father to take his children out of Japan to live in his country. As someone commented, why is it reported as a "crime" when a foreign father does it? I've seen Japanese mothers discussing how to take their kids "back" to Japan on some Japanese messageboards, encouraging each other because Japan is not the signatory to the convention (yet). Sad....