This site is for Takara and Manami Maniwa-Wood. It was created by their father, Murray Wood, with help from their family and friends in Canada who miss them very much.
Taka and Mana, I took the pictures and messages off the website. I posted them for you but I was worried that other people might take them. If you would like to see them please send me an email and I will send them directly to you.
When we said goodbye at the Vancouver airport on November 27, 2004 I was expecting to see you again 12 days later. It has now been almost four years. I miss you very much and I think about you every day. All of your family here misses you. We are always working to find a way for us to be together again.
It is good that you have had the chance to spend time in Japan. You will have learned so much about Japanese culture and will have learned to speak, read and write Japanese very well. You have had the opportunity to get to know your Japanese family really well and have had the chance to make new friends. The problem is that you have not been able to see your family and friends in Canada. You are Japanese and Canadian. You can be proud of your dual heritage. It is part of what makes you the special people that you are. You have the right to have contact with both sides of your family – to feel the love that all of us have for you. When you were living in Canada you were able to visit Japan regularly. There is no reason why you cannot speak to us on the phone or come to visit us in Canada.
I know that you love your mother and your Japanese family. You can also love me and your Canadian family
I have been trying to contact your mother to see if she will work with me to find a way for you to see your Canadian family. She has not responded, but I will keep trying.
We would love to hear how you are doing. Please email us at amw@telus.net or call us on the telephone at 604-875-1640. You can find instructions for how to contact us by telephone at the top of each page in this website. Directions for how to access the email account I set up for you are on the call home page.
Love forever and ever from all of your family in Canada. We love you and we miss you.
Documentary Film
David Hearn and Matt Antell of A & H Productions are working on a documentary film about parental child abduction entitled “For Taka and Mana.” They have been filming for a little over a year, following our case and the cases of several other families. They have registered their film as a non-profit project with the International Documentary Association in the United States and are currently working to raise financial support for post-production. Please visit their website to see the promotional clip for the film.
The IRoCS was incorporated under the British Columbia Society Act on July 27, 2005. It was formed in response to the the abduction of Takara and Manami but has a mandate to address the root problems that threaten so many children in British Columbia and around the world.
The Canadian warrant for the arrest of Ayako Wood has been communicated to Interpol. They have posted a request for information or assistance in bringing Ayako to justice.
International Child Abductions: A Manual for Parents
This manual was published by the Canadian Department of Consular Affairs, Foreign Affairs Canada. It provides useful preventative information and contact numbers in Ottawa.