US-Japan custody battle

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By The World ⋅ October 13, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

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A custody battle between a Tennessee man and his Japanese ex-wife is highlighting legal differences between the two countries. Japan doesn’t recognize international custody even though the man was granted legal custody by a US court. Reporter Akiko Fujita has the story.

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MARCO WERMAN: I’m Marco Werman, and this is The World. Just about any custody dispute is heart-wrenching, for the parents and the children. But here’s a case that’s especially difficult.

It involves a Tennessee man, his Japanese ex-wife, and their two children. The father is currently in jail in Japan for trying to get his kids back. Akiko Fujita reports from Tokyo.

AKIKO FUJITA: Christopher Savoie says he always feared his ex-wife Noriko might take their children to Japan. In an interview with WTVF in Tennessee, Savoie said she threatened that more than once. So when their 8 year-old son and 6 year-old daughter didn’t show up for their first day of school, he called his ex-wife’s parents in Japan.

CHRISTOPHER SAVOIE: I said “What do you mean don’t worry? They weren’t at school.” “Oh, don’t worry they’re here.” I said, “They’re what? They’re what? They’re in Japan?”

FUJITA: A few weeks ago, Savoie flew to the city of Fukuoka. Police there say Savoie snatched his two children as they walked to their Japanese school with their mother. He put them in his car, and drove to the US consulate to get passports for them, but police caught up and arrested him for kidnapping.

TADASHI YOSHINO: [speaking Japanese]

FUJITA: Christopher’s Japanese lawyer says his client acted as a loving father. He doesn’t feel like he did anything wrong, but he now faces up to seven years in jail. Technically, Christopher Savoie has custody of the kids. The Savoies lived in Japan until last year. A US court awarded the mother custody after the couple moved to Tennessee and divorced earlier this year. But when Noriko Savoie took the children to Japan this summer, the court reversed and gave Christopher sole custody. The problem is Japan does not recognize that ruling. The country’s not a party to the Hague Convention on child abductions, so Japan isn’t obligated to return the children to Tennessee. The Savoies’ case has grabbed headlines in the US, but in Japan, it hasn’t made much of a splash. That’s partly because it’s not uncommon here for mothers to take off with their children in custody disputes.

TAMIKO NAKAMURA: [speaking Japanese]

FUJITA: Family lawyer Tamiko Nakamura says it’s standard for Japanese women to take their kids back to their parents’ home after a divorce or separation. And it’s perfectly legal for the mother keep her children there. But if the father comes back for the kids that’s considered illegal. The Savoie case isn’t unique. The US government says there are more than 80 ongoing cases of American parents denied access to their children in Japan. A State Department spokesman says though the US and Japan are close partners on many issues, they hold very different points of view on this one. But that might be changing. Japan’s Foreign Ministry has said that the problem is growing and that it’s becoming a diplomatic issue. As for Christopher Savoie, Japanese prosecutors plan to hold him for another week while they investigate. Neither Noriko Savoie nor her lawyer could be reached for this story. For The World, I’m Akiko Fujita in Tokyo.

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Discussion

3 comments for “US-Japan custody battle”

Tuna

I am extremely disappointed that the World reports such a biased piece. I understand that there are (at least) two sides to any stories. At the same time, if the World is going to call this as “international custody” issue and “especially difficult” then you should at least include more information.

This is not just an ordinary custody battle. There are many families deal with the issue. However, this, Mr. Savoie case, is not simple as you portrayed to be. You just jumped on the band wagon, fed one-sided information that Mr. Savoie and his associates have been spreading.

You should at least tell the listener/reader that Mr. Savoie is naturalized Japanese citizen. They met, married and raised children in Japan. Children are both born and raised in Japan.

Mr. Savoie had mistress (now wife, Amy) thus wanted to move his family to US from Japan. A day after Noriko and children stepped off the plane, Mr. Savoie served Noriko with divorce paper and asked the court to take away their passports. A month after the divorce was finalized, Mr. Savoie moves in with his mistress (now wife).

It is significant that such information should not be hidden. Without it, you are making this complex case as if it is simple black and white case.

This is nothing to do with US-Japan Custody Battle or the lack of Hague convention. It is a case more sinister in which Mr. Savoie tried to use two countries law in his advantage, and complains that Japanese stance over the Hague, then claiming that only American law and justice to be applied to his situation.

As a long time fan of PRI, the World, I am very very shocked that you have picked up this specific case. You can do better than that.

Anpanman

I’m glad this program picked up the story. It has received little attention in the Japanese media. Given more time, more background details could have been provided, but I’m glad to see this issue is starting to gain a little more media attention.

Paul

I agree with you TUNA. There are reports that Isaac was born in the US, but that is largely irrelevant to this case. Everybody involved does have Japanese citizenship.

Put them in the car? He had a small army with him. There were reports of bruises. There are other pressing issues the Japanese authorities have to deal with, as well. What are they to do with a Japanese national that was supposed to give up his previous citizenship, but didn’t? Say bygones!

Mr Savoie was quite calculating when he managed to get his family to the US – turf where a court would be much more inclined to see things his way. Does he love his kids? Nobody would argue that. Has he thought about anybody else but himself? Hardly.

Savoie supporters are taking a cold and narrow minded approach to this case by claiming that she broke the law first, and that children need both a mother and a father.

Do some reporting. Teach people what it would be like for a Japanese woman forced to share her kids with her ex-husbands wife. This is not every case of parental abduction, and it is not as simple as Savoie’s attorney would like you to believe.

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