so that top positions. you in after knox odyssey has brought him here a police station in tokyo he's hoping to file a missing persons report for his children the police aren't keen on reporters. could you stop the recording please here you just feel. he owns a wife abducted their 2 sons. but 3 hours later nothing's happened we haven't filled out any forms or reports on us and they just gathered information and called their boss to ask what to do. with music.

this was once home but no longer. your own economic has since moved to berlin. the family lives here. now the house holds nothing but memories. his wife went back to japan taking their children with her. john has just returned from tokyo he's been there several times before but still hasn't managed to find his children the syndicate saying to these are the presents i took with me to japan but it can end up on the table if i bring them every time so the packaging is a bit worse for wear to me every time i hope i'll be able to give them to car and johan. but i haven't found my children and. 2 years ago his marriage collapsed his wife vanished with their 2 children beyond

has had no contact with his sons ever since to says the. bedroom aunt and of course it's where they used to play. here most of their feelings are still here close and that's all it is i haven't been able to bring myself to clean out the rooms. beyond has legal custody of his children he won 4 court cases in all in germany and japan but your band has done nothing to enforce them. his wife has broken off all contact and refuses to turn over custody. and dying and there used to be pictures on this wall of the children playing she tore them all down. put it down when the police saw that they said it was pretty clear. and when someone takes personal items like pictures with them they know it's

not likely to be just a quick trip somewhere. else. one week earlier the urine was and would tsunami of japan about a 90 minute drive north of tokyo. is sitting in a smoky hotel lobby. girding himself for what he knows will be an emotional ordeal the gifts he's brought along still look new he hopes will soon be able to see is abducted children it's a fate that he shares with many other fathers around the world. in other countries the police will pursue the case but in japan the authorities are uncooperative this is. in japan you have to go there with a court bailiff get. to keep the children have to go with you willingly disinfo and it untied and the parent who has ducted the children has to agree it is a fiance in the 5 years since japan ratified the hague convention that hasn't

happened and it's not even once and that 6 months from to get. a car and johan are meanwhile 4 and 6 years old the legal situation is clear under the hague convention japan must repatriate children within 6 weeks of the filing of the petition for their return. japan ratified the convention. it went into force 5 years ago but you pan hasn't been complying with it. she of the ministry of foreign affairs says they have good reason. must. get in he said our goal is to have the parent with whom the child is living and comply with the court ruling voluntarily. this is also a matter of the child's welfare. voluntary compliance that's a little bit wishful thinking here and could hardly be blamed for feeling angry. us

with a scream and anger would get me nowhere as i feel helpless helpless because of my children or even mine to condone. his children have vanished and journal has no idea if they're well or happy. and brought reams of documents with him including the verdict granting him sole custody. a direct enforcement of compulsory return of the children is supposed to take place the following day. and has a meeting with the bailiff and his lawyer were not permitted to accompany him. he returns 2 and a half hours later. my 90 my impression was that the main topic today was japan's image not returning my children to me or maybe improving this process so that children can be returned more quickly. the main topic was japan's image abroad its . cultural norms are also

a factor japan often lags behind when it comes to enforcing global legal agreements . we go to a press conference being held by fathers from italy in france their children were also abducted and brought to japan and they've also hit a brick wall with minimal in japan fear of conflict is more powerful than the law says lawyer a kiro we know. that the acquittal in japan we say the law doesn't have anything to do with families or when it comes to marital disputes even the dog won't eat it you know other people don't care about anyone else's marital problems today don't care about what happens to the children. and. i don't this japan is a black hole when it comes to child abductions says tomato purina of italy his japanese wife abducted his son and daughter in late 2016 since then he's only seen his children for a total of 5 hours in a locked room at

a lawyers office. and that was years ago he has legal custody but the authorities are stonewalling for me not being able to see them see saw august 2017 is every day's a nightmare. and of course you see you prove you know you learn how to deal with these thing but it's not because i had to use a person. i'm betting. the following day we're at a new hotel it's closer to where the children are supposedly living but you're on after not will spend the night here. a lawyer and translator from tokyo are also here he hopes will soon have his children but he's worried. him and demanding more to smiting if the mother isn't there with the children and just won't work on site and or say the children are there without the parent who abducted them and filmed it on tide she has to be there for this to go forward on on and on this night and there's always the risk that she'll have gone underground with the

children somewhere in japan. the next day we order a taxi it's another half hour to our destination. it's 7 in the morning the plan is that the children will be handed over just down the street the authorities don't want reporters there. we arranged to hold a skype call with biarne after the direction foresman it's bad news his wife and children aren't there. was only her father was there i didn't even see her sister another woman i've never seen before was there used by couldn't even set foot on the property i spent almost 2 hours at the fans watching them debate the situation. do you know where your children are. nothing really except that her family admitted that she keeps moving and going underground here in japan. we also contacted the children's mother and asked for

a statement she didn't reply. another direct enforcement is scheduled for later that day at the court meeting it's all talk and no action. is asked if he could visit japan more often and frustration he calls the german embassy. i told them i have to work i have to pay for all this this situation is just crazy. the embassy advises him to file a missing persons report after all his children have now been abducted for a 2nd time this time in japan. we decided to pay a visit to the house no one's there. father in law's wealthy so is he financing his daughter's undercover life and that of his abducted grandchildren a neighbor says he's never seen the children. and i know we don't know the family very well have you ever heard the children with. yes but

that was a long time ago maybe the end of last year but little. later that day the 2nd direct enforcement gets underway everyone knows the children are there but appearances must be maintained the sister in law makes a brief appearance she says she has to leave for a moment but she'll be back in 2 hours no one asks or where she's going to be on will have to pay the bailiff then we're told nothing will happen as long as we're filming we leave. again it comes to nothing. nearby playground he's deeply worried about his children. terribly sad so disappointed at what happened. i could cry. crying in japan is

a sign of weakness it's humiliating i have the law on my side but i have to keep apologizing to everyone or else they'll just drop the matter. he returns to tokyo. the next day beyond does what he's been doing for years. he's become an activist on behalf of himself and other victims of child abduction so he informs the german embassy and the european union delegation and discusses how to proceed. the oh noes most every documented case in japan later that evening he meets with other fathers to masa purina is here and so is another father from germany who prefers to remain off camera they all agree what needs to be done and that's very important we have to keep at it keep raising the issue. but his children are still missing. the japanese police aren't making much of an effort to find them.

after knox will return to japan a country that has signed a treaty that it's not enforcing. as a father he has no other choice. ozma county. fire mill and i just looked at the brand new solution but of course it's close and it's divisive those are the topics that affect us all for the solution climate change and the return. call of the 1st shutdown.

i'm scared that the i work that's hard and in the end it's a me you're not allowed to stay here anymore we will send you that. are you familiar with this. with the smugglers would lie and say. what's your story ready ready. i'm with numbers and women especially of victims of violence. take part and send us your story we are trying in all ways to understand this new culture. another visitor another guest you want to become a citizen. in for migrants your platform for a while information. coming.