U.S Father Arrested in Japan in Child Custody Battle

When Christopher Savoie found out that his ex-wife took their two children from the U.S. back to her native country of Japan, the Tennessee father decided to go after them.   

In Japan, Savoie picked up the children as they walked home from school, and was on his way to the U.S. consulate in Fukuoka when he was detained for kidnapping. 

A U.S. family court in Tennessee granted Savoie full custody of both children after his ex-wife Noriko took the children back to Japan.  The court later issued a warrant for her arrest. Japan, however, does not recognize United States family court orders.

Savoie was taken into Japanese custody outside of the gates of the U.S. consulate, where police were already waiting and blocking the road.

The U.S. embassy in Japan said there is little that can be done to help Savoie, as Japan and the United States have very different laws in regards to divorce and child rearing.

Savoie now faces charges for abduction of minors, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

There have been a number of cases lately in which a child has been taken out of the U.S. by a foreign-born parent, leaving the other parent to fight through a maze of complicated and complex international child custody laws.

For more information about international child custody cases, please contact a family law attorney near you.