Category: International Parental Child Abduction

Their children were taken. Now they fight Japanese laws to get them back

8/14/2021

...But the issue of child abduction in Japan has now morphed into a full-blown diplomatic stand-off for Tokyo, not just with France, but Australia and the United States. French authorities estimate more than 100 children have been caught up in similar circumstances to the 68 Australian children. The United States has 475 children in such situations.

During the Olympic Games, French father Vincent Fichot went on an almost three-week hunger strike outside Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium. He had not seen his kids in three years after his wife abruptly disappeared with them.

“The problem with Japan is it is a zero-sum game, there can only be a winner and a loser,” said Australian mother-of-two Catherine Henderson who has spent more than two years attempting to see her kids in Tokyo after her Japanese husband packed up and left with them in April 2019.

“There is nothing about the best interests of the child.”

(Jeffery) Morehouse has won two custody cases in the US against his Japanese wife but has not seen his son Mochi in more than a decade.

“They erase the other parent,” he said. “When a child is kidnapped their whole life is built on a foundation of lies.”

475+ U.S. Children Kidnapped To Japan

5/15/2021

How many U.S. children have been kidnapped to Japan?
More than 400 since 1994 when the U.S. Department of State's Office of Children's Issue's (OCI) was established. Japan is internationally known as a black hole for child abduction.

Where does this 400+ figure come from?
It comes from data provided by the U.S. Department of State. Representative Chris Smith reported at the May 24, 2011 hearing in the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee, “Japan has by far the worst record of all. It has not issued and enforced the return order for a single one of the more than 321 American children abducted there since 1994, when the recordkeeping began.”[1]

321 was also the figure reported to us in our July 2011 meeting with OCI by then director Beth Payne along with then Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Kurt Campbell.

At this meeting we requested updated figures dating back to 1994. On August 25, 2011 parents of children kidnapped to Japan received a response stating, "As of August 19, 2011, that statistic is 268 cases involving 374 children."

REPORT: International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA): Foreign Policy Responses and Implications

9/29/2020

The U.S. Congressional Research Service's released a new report on international parental child abduction. Here are a few highlights-

“Some Members of Congress have consistently posed questions as to the most effective means of improving foreign government compliance with IPCA standards and processes, and have at times criticized the State Department for refusing to implement potentially more coercive foreign policy tools, such as sanctions. Such arguments have informed several instances in which high-level engagement, coupled with threats to foreign countries’ economic or trading benefits, appears to have preceded the resolution of certain IPCA cases.”

“Many experts and policymakers agree that international displacement of a child from his or her home environment to another, with potentially different social structures, cultures, and languages, can cause emotional and psychological harm to the child.”

“Responding to this issue, Congress has enacted legislation pertaining to IPCA, engaged in individual cases of abducted children, and conducted oversight of executive branch actions in this area. Congress has held 11 hearings on the subject since 2014, and some Members have on occasion blocked legislation unrelated to IPCA until specific cases were resolved.”

Outlook
"IPCA will likely continue to be a significant issue for American citizens and U.S. foreign policy, leading Congress to consider options for addressing specific cases and to pursue the broader foreign policy efforts to address this problem. As it considers policy options, Congress may examine the potential and alleged impacts of sanctions, technical assistance, and high-level outreach on compliance and on countries’ willingness to accede to the Hague Convention. In recent years, Congress has raised legislative options for strengthening the U.S. response to IPCA. It may continue to engage this issue through public hearings, direct involvement in specific cases, legislation, and oversight of the State Department Office of Children’s Issues."

Japan Ignores Extradition Question

9/9/2020

Japan's Minister of Justice held a webinar "On Japan's Criminal Justice." As a registered participant BAC Home asked,

"Recently Japan has pursued extradition from the U.S. of Michael and Peter Taylor who are accused of aiding Carlos Ghosn in fleeing Japan. On Sept 4, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell issued a ruling approving the extradition.

Some Japanese nationals are wanted and charged under the U.S. laws for international parental kidnapping (18 U.S.C.§1204) and with passport fraud (18 U.S.C.§1542). These combined are viewed by some to align with Articles 224 and 226 of the Japanese penal code. This would make them extraditable offenses.

Will the Ministry of Justice commit to extraditing these wanted individuals? If not, can you provide some details why Japan would not wish to uphold the extradition treaty with the U.S.?"

International Alliance Sends Letter to G7 Leaders On Japan Abductions

7/5/2019

For the second year in a row, international partners of the G7 Kidnapped to Japan Reunification Project wrote to representatives of the G7 countries in advance of the 45th G7 summit that will be held on August 24-26, 2019 in Biarritz, France. The international alliance is comprised of parents and organizations from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The immediate objective is to put the Japanese parental child abduction issue on the G7 Summit agenda and bring about a rapid resolution to this crisis affecting the human rights of thousands of children abducted to or within Japan.

Since the letter was sent on April 24, 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte have made statements to the press on the abduction crisis to and within Japan. President Macron confirmed he has raised the issue with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Coalition 2019 Briefing

5/22/2019

Congress United for Action: Strive to Return America’s Stolen Children
U.S. Capitol, S-115

Formal Remarks
Members of Congress (Invited)

International Parental Child Abduction: A Unifying Issue for Congress

Use the Tools
Accountability and Returns Under the Goldman Act

International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act of 1993
Improving Victim Response and Charging Rates under federal IPKA statutes

Two Teen Survivors Share Their Experiences

Count Children, Not Cases
Affecting Data-Driven Solutions in the Departments of State and Justice

What American Families Need from Congress
Congressional Solutions through Casework, Legislation and Oversight

Speakers:
Dr. Noelle Hunter, mother of an American child abducted to Mali
Co-founder and President of iStand Parent Network and Coalition Partner
view written remarks

Ravi Parmar, father of an American child abducted to India
Co-founder of Bring Our Kids Home and Coalition Partner

Jerry Pfeifer, survivor of international parental child abduction
Leo Zagaris, survivor of international parental child abduction

Jeffery Morehouse, father of an American child abducted to Japan
Co-founder and Executive Director of Bring Abducted Children Home and Coalition Partner
view written remarks

Formal Remarks by Members of Congress:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell*
U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (by video provided to The Coalition)
U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (in a statement read by her staff)*
U.S. Representative Chris Smith*
*not included in the briefing video

Tillis & Feinstein Urge DOJ to Prosecute Individuals Who Unlawfully Abduct American Children

3/1/2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Daniel Keylin (Tillis)|(202) 224-6342
Ashley Schapitl (Feinstein)|(202) 224-9629

Senators Also Seek Commitment to Provide Training for Law Enforcement Officers to Secure Return of American Children

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) urged Attorney General Bill Barr to make full use of the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act to combat international parental child abduction.

Every year, several hundred American children are abducted by one parent and brought to a foreign country, where they are isolated from their other parent, family members, and friends. Abduction can have a profound impact on a child’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

The International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act criminalizes the removal of a child from the United States with “the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental rights.” Individuals found guilty of violating this statute are subject to criminal fines and the possibility of imprisonment of up to three years. These penalties provide powerful inducement for the taking parent to return a wrongfully taken or retained American child abroad.

Tillis and Feinstein Introduce Bipartisan Resolution (S.Res.23) to Combat International Parental Child Abduction

1/17/2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution (S.Res.23) that designates April 2019 as “Countering International Parental Child Abduction” month and instructs the federal government to educate state and local law enforcement about the issue and how to combat it.

Tragedy of children abducted from dads and taken to Japan

1/16/2019

Japanese leaders and diplomats regularly lambast North Korea for the abduction of their citizens by state spies – one of countless human rights abuses committed by Pyongyang.

What is less known is that hundreds of American children have been abducted to Japan in defiance of international conventions, while at home, hundreds of thousands of Japanese children suffer from facto parental kidnappings.

Tillis & Feinstein Press State Department To Do More To Bring Abducted Children Back Home

1/2/2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Daniel Keylin (Tillis)| (202) 224-6342
Ashley Schapitl (Feinstein) | (202) 224-9629

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to make more relentless and effective efforts to bring abducted American children back home to the United States by using all of the tools and resources at the State Department’s disposal.

Japan's Continuity Principle Keeping Children Kidnapped

12/20/2018

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan hosted a panel in Tokyo to discuss domestic and international parental child abduction. Topics included harm to the children, shortcomings in Japanese family law and how Japan's Continuity Principle is keeping children kidnapped. Panelists included:

Mr. Akira Ueno, Attorney, Nihonbashi Sakura Law Firm
Professor Noriko Odagiri, Professor of Clinical Psychology Tokyo International University
Mr. Tommaso Perina, an Italian Father
Mr.Vincent Fichot, a French Father

‘Bring Our Children Home’: US Urged to Use All Legal Powers to Return Abductees

12/12/2018

WASHINGTON—Parents Jeffery Morehouse, Juan Garaicoa, and Michelle Littleton sat before a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Dec. 10 to testify about the same terrible fate of their children—international abduction by a spouse.

“While most children were returning to school, my children were boarding a plane and being kidnapped to war-torn Lebanon,” Littleton, a mother of three, said.

“She had kidnapped our son to Japan,” said Morehouse, the founder and executive director of the non-profit Bring Abducted Children Home. “I don’t even know where he is being held.”

“Time is of the essence and now is the time to bring our children home,” pleaded Garaicoa, whose two children remain in Ecuador.

While the countries, children, and spouses are different, they share the same frustration of fighting to be reunited with their children in foreign lands.
Morehouse won custody of his children in U.S. courts—and twice in Japan—but his teenage son, Mochi, who was taken by his wife at age 6, remains in Japan with his mother because there is no enforcement mechanism under Japanese law.

“In the end, the court refused to reunite Mochi and me,” said Morehouse.”It does not matter how a child ends up with the abductor in Japan, they will not uphold laws and treaties to return children to their rightful home.”

Parents call on Congress to pressure foreign nations to return their children

12/10/2018

Jeffery Morehouse dropped his 6-year-old son off with his mother for a weeklong visit in 2010 — and she managed to abscond with him to Japan.

On Monday, Mr. Morehouse, executive director of Bring Abducted Children Home, called on Congress to step up American efforts to bring his son and other children back from overseas, saying the government’s actions are inconsistent and insufficient.

“President Trump ran on putting America first,” Mr. Morehouse said in his testimony to the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on global human rights. “Well, America first means putting American children first and bringing them home.”

Rep. Smith calls for Trump administration crackdown on international parental child abduction

12/10/2018

WASHINGTON – House Foreign Affairs subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith called on the Trump administration to take concerted action to stop international parental child abduction.

“The Trump administration can and must use current law, especially the tools embedded in the Goldman Act, to more aggressively bring American children home to their families,” Smith (R-N.J.) said at a hearing on Monday that featured testimony from parents whose children were abducted abroad.
Smith said “child abduction is child abuse.”

Smith said more than 450 American children are abducted each year. He said 11,000 children were abducted internationally between 2008 and 2017.

Panelists relayed their experiences to the committee and implored action.
“The last time I saw my son was on Father’s Day of 2010,” said Jeffery Morehouse, executive director of Bring Abducted Children Home.

That day, Morehouse said, he dropped off his then-6-year-old-son, Mochi Atomu Imoto Morehouse, with his ex-wife for a week-long visit. Three weeks later, Morehouse said, the police informed him that his wife and son had been reported missing.

“I knew immediately what happened,” Morehouse recalled. “She succeeded in what she had threatened to do. She kidnapped our son to Japan.”

Morehouse said he pursued the matter in Japanese courts and won.

Feinstein, Grassley to Justice Department: Enforce Kidnapping Laws

7/30/2018

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have requested Attorney General Jeff Sessions detail steps the Justice Department is taking to adhere to the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act and return U.S. citizen children to their parents. The letter follows a Judiciary Committee hearing on the issue.

The senators wrote, “Unfortunately, our review of public records suggests individuals are rarely—if ever—prosecuted under this statute. Worse still, our conversations with victims of international parental child abduction and their advocates suggests that many federal prosecutors are either unaware of the statute’s existence or do not understand the vital role the threat of prosecution can play in securing the return of abducted children. It is clear that the Department can do more with respect to IPKCA.”

Is Japan Willing To Embrace The Hague Abduction Convention?

7/24/2018

There is a systemic, entrenched pattern that further harms the children abducted by a parent to and within Japan. It is known as "The Continuity Principle." Simply put, judges and attorneys representing abductors manipulate the "best interest of the child" to rule that the child should remain alienated and ignore how they ended up with the abducting parent. In Japan, abducting your child is encouraged because it assures you will keep possession. We see this in international cases where courts may determine the child was taken to Japan without permission, sometimes acknowledging illegal acts, and then rule the child should remain with the abducting parent.

To impact the ongoing child abduction crisis positively, the most effective way currently is to encourage Japanese judges to end using the continuity principle and adopt the “friendly parent rule." In Japan's interpretation, the friendly parent is the one more supportive of the other parent being an integral part of the child's life. Adopting this would create a standard for the child to maintain a relationship with both parents. Japan could then be more in sync with The Hague Abduction Convention, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the revised Japanese civil code article 766.[1]

U.N. Told Parental Child Abductions Serious Human Rights Violation In Japan

6/28/2018

Shunichi Fujiki speaking at the UN Human Rights Council

Addressing at the United Nations Human Rights Council this week Mr. Shunichi Fujiki of the International Career Support Association declared, "Parental child abductions are becoming a serious human rights violation in Japan."

"The abducted child is at the mercy of the abducting parent. The child can no longer go home and [is] forced to sever their relationship with the abandoned parent."

Children have the right to be loved by both parents. He continues, "In Japan many children are deprived of the basic rights because of the current system and crooked lawyers."

Rep. Mimi Walters Shares the Story of Randy Collins & Keisuke

6/27/2018

U.S. Congresswoman Mimi Walters (CA-45) speaks on the House floor about Keisuke's 2008 kidnapping to Japan by his mother and Japan's terrible record on international parental child abduction.

“Japan continues to have one of the worst records in returning abducted children like Keisuke [Collins] to the United States,” declared Rep. Walters.

She closed, "this is a grave injustice and I will continue to support Randy and all
families whose children have been wrongfully abducted."

In 2011, partnering with Mr. Collins while she served in the California State Senate she introduced SB 1206 which was signed into law in 2012 as Keisuke's Law.

Shocking TV Broadcast From Japan Supports Parental Kidnapping

3/29/2018

The network, Japanese Cultural Channel Sakura, uses racist overtones to mock the U.S. and parents of internationally kidnapped children for wanting to be part of their children's lives. Below is the disturbing broadcast in its entirety.

Channel Sakura has hosted the Prime Minister as well as other top government officials on their programs.

The following is a condensed broadcast version of a news program in Japan supporting international parental child abduction.

Call Your Senators To Pass S.Res.431

3/20/2018

Senate Resolution 431 (S.Res.431) will create a month of awareness of for the harm caused by international parental child abduction. It will lead to greater action to #EndInternationalParentalChildAbduction
Learn about the resolution here.

Helping Is Easy

1) Call the Washington, DC office for both your senators. Keep it simple:
My name is ___________ I am a constituent from (city&state) and I would like to see Senator ___________ co-sponsor and vote for S.Res. 431 on creating an international parental child abduction awareness month.
If you can’t reach someone at the DC office, then call the district office.

2) Motivate your friends and family to do it, too, and keep the support chain growing.

Senate Phone Numbers

JEFFERY MOREHOUSE Addresses The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

10/27/2017

On October 27, 2017 Bring Abducted Children Home Executive Director Jeffery Morehouse briefs The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission on the crime of international parental child abduction.

A Father's Day

6/18/2017

Fathers of internationally kidnapped children speak on Father's Day.

Japan Declares Goldman Act Sanctions Not Used

2/16/2017

In Japan's Diet, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida declares there is not a single example of sanctions under the Goldman Act and the Government of Japan is of the opinion that they are sincerely compliant with the Hague Convention. See 3:28-4:39

REP. Jeff Clawson Declares, "We could solve kidnapped children tomorrow."

11/19/2015

Rep. Jeff Clawson at a Congressional hearing on International Parental Child Abduction declares, "We could solve kidnapped children tomorrow. One executive order. Give our kids back or you don't get to sell your cars over here. Give our kids back or you don't get to sell your software over here."

Child abduction treaty gives hope to parents separated from their kids

4/4/2014

American Jeffrey Morehouse has no idea where his son lives, knowing only that the 10-year-old’s address is somewhere in Toyama Prefecture.

His last contact with the boy was when his divorced Japanese wife lived in the United States. He lost all contact after she and her son abruptly moved to Japan.
But Morehouse, who lives in Seattle, is finally taking a big step toward getting in touch with his son again, and perhaps bringing the child back to the United States.

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction took effect for Japan on April 1, giving parents overseas, like Morehouse, and in Japan a legal means to visit their children.

The so-called Hague Abduction Convention governs cross-border child custody disputes resulting from broken marriages. Under the treaty, if a marriage fails and the parents start living in separate countries, the decision on who receives parental rights to raise children under 16 falls under the jurisdiction of the country where the family lived with the child before the breakup.

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