Blog Archives

Japan Court Allows Family Reunion In U.S. After Int’l Divorce

5/28/2011

A Japanese court has ruled that a Nicaraguan man in the United States can meet with his separated child from Japan for temporary family reunions, a rare decision in an international divorce dispute, attorneys involved in the matter said Friday.

The Itami branch of the Kobe Family Court handed down the judgment March 14, which both the father and mother appealed to the Osaka High Court.

Rep. Chris Smith Reads BAC Home's Policy On Abductions to/within Japan

5/26/2011

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) reads BAC HOME’s six-point policy platform on American children kidnapped to and/or wrongfully retained in Japan during a Congressional Subcommittee Hearing on International Parental Child Abduction.

Open Letter by Bring Sean HOme FOundation to Sec Clinton

5/24/2011

AN OPEN LETTER TO SECRETARY CLINTON

Japan Highlighted During Hearings For Child Abduction

5/24/2011

On May 24, 2011, BAC Home members completed two days of meetings in Washington D.C. which culminated in attending a Congressional hearing on International Child Abduction. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) who has been a strong advocate of human rights issues and was key in last year’s H. Res. 1326 near unanimous passage last September chaired the hearing.

Secretary Clinton's Message For National Missing Children's Day

5/24/2011

Japan To Sign Child Abduction Convention

5/20/2011

IN a move that offers hope to thousands of parents who have had their children abducted by Japanese spouses, Japan has confirmed it will sign the Hague convention on child abduction.

The change comes after years of pressure from foreign governments and parents from other countries who have been denied access to their children under Japan’s archaic custody laws. A foreign-based parent is thought to have never successfully gained custody over a Japanese parent and courts in Japan do not recognise the concept of joint custody, effectively nullifying visitation rights.

Process For Signing Hague Treaty Begins

5/20/2011

The government officially decided Friday to prepare to ratify an international treaty that prevents cross-border parental child abductions.

The decision came just in time for Prime Minister Naoto Kan to announce it at next week’s Group of Eight summit meeting in France.

Japan Moves To Halt International Child Abductions

5/20/2011

Listen to MP3 of this story (minutes)ALTERNATE WMA VERSION | MP3 DOWNLOAD

MARK COLVIN: Settling terms of custody in a divorce is never easy, but it's much harder if the children involved have been abducted overseas by one parent. If they've been taken to a country which is not a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention, it can be near impossible.

It recognises, the convention that is, recognises cross-border custody rights and Japan is the only major industrial nation which has not signed up to it.

Japan To sign Hague Treaty, But Implementation Could Be Years Away

5/20/2011

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – Japanese officials announced Friday that the country will sign an international treaty aimed at preventing child abduction, but it could take years before the law is actually implemented in Japan, sources told Stars and Stripes.

Japan Closer To Giving Rights To Foreign Parents

5/20/2011

TOKYO — Japan moved closer Friday to joining an international child-custody agreement that would give rights to non-Japanese parents involved in disputes with Japanese citizens.

Order For Ex-wife To Pay Millions Doesn’t Make Up For Time Lost With Kids, Says Franklin Father Court Rules Mom Who Took Kids To Japan Owes $6.1M

5/10/2011

A mother who left Middle Tennessee with her two young children to live permanently in her native Japan — leaving behind an ex-husband with joint custody rights — has been ordered to pay the father $6.1 million in damages.

But Christopher J. Savoie of Franklin said the money alone is a hollow victory. He hopes the ruling will help end a battle he has waged since 2009 to bring the children home.

$6.1 Mil Awarded To Tennessee Man In Japan Child Custody Battle

5/9/2011

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A judge has awarded a Tennessee man $6.1 million from his ex-wife who took their two children to Japan and never returned.

It remains unclear whether Christopher Savoie will ever actually get the money on behalf of his children, 10-year-old Isaac and 8-year-old Rebecca.

American Court Orders Japanese Ex-Wife To Pay $6.1 Million To Christopher Savoie

5/9/2011

Back in 2009, the American media made a huge deal out of the case of Christopher Savoie, an “American” man whose Japanese wife “kidnapped” their children and brought them to Japan in violation of an American court order. When Savoie went to Japan and tried to reclaim his children by force, he was arrested. The Savoie case was presented as a case of an American trying to rescue his American children from an unjust country that had refused to sign the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

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