Nara child abduction case results in NJ father assaulted, bricked in head, computer evidence destroyed
Posted by debito on November 16th, 2009
UPDATES ON TWITTER: arudoudebito
Hi Blog. It was only a matter of time before this sort of thing happened, but it has. Japan’s deeply flawed laws governing divorce, child custody, and parental access have led to violence.
Over the weekend, a NJ (we’ll call him Mick Hogan), a medical doctor, who has been having issues with his Japanese family by marriage over a separation and child access, was attacked in his home by an unknown assailant. See photos:
He was assaulted with a brick and rendered unconscious, then his computers were thrown into a pool of water in his bathtub to destroy the data he was collecting regarding his case.
Hogan, an Australian, claims that he has had no effective help either from the Nara Police (who allegedly wouldn’t even take the brick as evidence) or the Australian Consulate. He has also lost all his money (his former wife withdrew all their money when she left with the child). Now he feels he is fearing for his life as he tries to persue all available domestic channels to not only see his child, but also pursue his assailants.
The full story, as told by Hogan through Children’s Rights Network’s Mark Smith, is available in full here.
http://crnjapan.net/The_Japan_Childrens_Rights_Network/itn-jappoli.html
Have a read. Arudou Debito in Sapporo
(Reporters who wish to receive more information on this case are encouraged to contact Mark Smith at mark AT crnjapan DOT net)
November 16th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Does this guy have a legal fund somewhere where we can chip in?
– Thanks for the offer. Very kind. I’ll have a bank account number up here shortly.
UPDATE
Here it is:
Citibank Japan Ltd.
branchname：OsakaEkimae branch.
address：2F Oaska Dai‐ichi Seimei bldg、1‐8‐17 Umeda kita‐ku Osaka‐shi Osaka
branch swift code：CITIJPJT
acc number 7582231
November 16th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
From what’s written in the crnjapan article, it sounds like this “Watanabe” family is a yakuza family or something along those lines, which would unfortunately explain both the horrible violence and the negligence of the police. What this man is trying to fight against might be something much greater than what we think…
November 16th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I would just like to add that the crnjapan seemed rather too racist of its own, almost suggesting that this is how the Japanese police (not specifying the Nara prefecture police, a.k.a. Japanese police in general) will treat foreigners versus the Japanese.
> They were here to assist the Japanese not the gaijin.
This case is so unusual and over-the-top, the reader should first question what kind of possible background this case may involve, but the article misleads the reader with wordings like the above to suggest that this is a “standard procedure” towards foreign nationals. There are many questions that need to be answered (such as the nature of this “Watanabe” family and the influence they have towards the police) before anything controversial like that is suggested. Making such suggestive claims is borderlining racism on their part.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
This is just a simply horrible story.
I think Australian newspapers would be all over a story like this and it may help hsi case if it’s fully publicized around the world. Debito – how does one go about contacting the press and putting them in touch with this story?
– I’ve already sent this to my press contacts, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, and it will be in my DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER shortly.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
OK – the story on CRN is not exactly the best written piece out there, but the bottom line is it is another case of police officers in Japan not doing their job and acting with bias. Sadly, this, like other cases will not be reported in the Japanese press, or will be reported with cultural bias.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
This story is an abomination and sets Japan back to the stone ages if it is true/accurate.
However, so the people not living in Japan don’t get the idea that 100% of the Japanese police == nazis, here is a personal and true story from last month to show that this is not entirely “typical” of all Japanese police.
I was in Hiroshima with about 5 of my foreign buddies. At about 8:00pm, we were standing in front of the atomic bomb dome when a Japanese guy on a bike stopped and just *exploded* at us in Japanese. “Get out of Japan, you foreign scum, your being here is an insult to those who died in the bomb” etc. etc. My friends and I weren’t going to let him walk away from that, so we called him out on his nonsense.
When he realized we spoke Japanese, we ended up getting into a heated argument. He got off his bike, and as things escalated, he raised his hand as if to make an attack, and I said “go ahead, do it,” and then while he sat in hesitation, I went on to berate him for being an embarassment to Japan, and pointed out that trying to start a fight based on merely a difference in nationality right in front of the dome was far more of an insult to those who died rather than us just merely standing in front of it. Boy, he did not like that. Things got even louder.
Someone in the area saw this going on, and called the police. No less than TEN cops showed up, some by car, some by bicycle. This is where the police COULD have had their way with us, took us to the station, etc. But instead, they calmly listened to both sides of the story, and ultimately sided with us completely! They let us go free without so much as another question, but they made the guy on the bike sit down, and as we walked away we could hear them reaming him.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Graham,
This generally is a standard procedure towards foreign nationals. CRN is merely stating the facts, namely that the NPA is often reluctant to bother investigating crimes where the victim is non-J.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I would just like to add that the crnjapan seemed rather too racist of its own, almost suggesting that this is how the Japanese police (not specifying the Nara prefecture police, a.k.a. Japanese police in general) will treat foreigners versus the Japanese.
Please tell me you’re joking or have never had any experience with the Japanese police?
I’ll go further and add, ‘this is how the Japanese police on the whole will treat Japanese versus Japanese cases’.
Google up ’stalker, murder, Japan’ if you need any proof of the general incompetence of the Japanese police.
I hope someone can get this publicized in the Australian media.
Absolutely disgusting, even by Japanese standards.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
This is both the worst case of news reporting AND creative writing I have seen in a long time. Someone has really got to rewrite/reinterview everyone involved here if this is going to have any chance of being taken seriously. Get rid of the hyperbole, tone the biases down, and report the names. This is a news piece not a drama based on true facts. Even if one wishes to protect little ‘Megumi’ through non-disclosure of Mark’s full name, the embassy and police officials should be a matter for public record.
Beyond the issue of the reasons behind the attack, this is a case of aggravated assault, at the very least, and perhaps even attempted murder and should have been reported to the police and media as such. It is my understanding that the perpetrators of the vast majority of assaults/murders are known to the victims. This makes this case just like any other. If it remains private and treated as a civil matter then it is being handled improperly by all involved.
If the police refuse to take a report on a brutal attack, then there are certainly grounds for a wider intervention by the press. In recent years there have been a number of incidents where police were less than diligent in following up reports of attack (I can think of one stalking case in particular) and it has come back to bite them. I would think that the threat of blowing this up in the press would get their attention at least in the short term.
The hospital should have also been involved in the reporting of this crime to the police. (I am assuming that Hogan has his medical reports and the photos and evidence as taken at the hospital). I see NHK news reports daily that are involving more mundane events than this. I would think Hogan can get traction with a proper news agency and not simply leave the reporting to the CRN. Hogan should act while this is still a fresh issue in its first days, if not hours. “Over the weekend” is going to be old news by Tuesday. Act now Mark if you haven’t already. In future, Mark can use this as part of his evidence in his child welfare case but I think CRN should take a back seat while the criminal assault charge is played out.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I wonder what reason the police have for not taking the brick as evidence. What other investigations as underway regarding this man’s assault.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I think if they take the brick, i.e. the possible assault weapon, it means they have to do something with the item. Like figure out who used it in the attack.
If they don’t take the brick, then, well, the guy says some brick was used in the attack.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Wow, Debito I don’t think I’ve been through your whole picture section on “Japanese Only” but this certainly starts a whole new category. Are you sure you’re not trying to compete with shock websites?
From what I read this guy has it the worst out of most cases you’ve posted about. Caught between what sounds like the Yakuza and the Japanese Police (geez! how does someone find themselves in a position like that?) sounds like a horrible situation to be in. This guy needs some definite help!
You don’t think you could be taking a personal risk by posting this do you?
November 16th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
I have to agree with Graham. However frustrated you may be, it is simply not helpful to make broad blanket accusations or statements -ultimately it merely makes you seem shrill and biased.
For example, the police here in Sendai have been extremely helpful the three or four times we have had to call them to deal with our borderline psychotic Japanese neighbour. Every time they have been nothing but polite and professional.
The facts of this case seem horrific enough to stand on their own merits, without the bitter hyperbole. I hope things work out for ‘Mick’ and his daughter.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Completely agree with Frodis on this one. CRNJAPAN really overstepped its role as amateur blog on this one and should have let the authorities and professional press handle this rather than become the first key handler of evidence and reporter. I find it very odd that a blog picked up these photos before an international (Australian) or Japanese newspaper did.
The most disturbing passages in the article: “Both the police and the Watanabe family knew this couldn’t be allowed.” and “He knew the whole problem had begun with their slip. He couldn’t trust the police. They were here to ‘assist the Japanese not the gaijin.’”
He knew the police were out to get him? It’s a big conspiracy, and the entire Nara police force is in on it? HE REFUSED THE HELP AND QUESTIONING OF THE POLICE INITIALLY AFTER THE ASSAULT?! Really? Really? REALLY? The CRNJAPAN author insinuates that the police is not interested in evidence of a violent crime. Who knows why they didn’t take the brick? But given the tone and attitude of the article, and the fact that the protagonist took a DIY/antagonistic attitude with the police from almost day one, I FIND IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE that Japanese police are not interested in genuine evidence of impromptu weapons used for violent assault.
I find it very difficult to believe almost any of the story as is. It’s impossible to take any of that article at face value given how the author destroyed his credibility by assuming you’re on the “you can never trust the Japanese police” platform.
CRNJAPAN has gotten on the Crazy Train, folks. Apparently, it’s not just about children and Japan anymore. The entire police force is out to get us! With tales of broke Health Ministry connected Military Men/Prestigious Doctors that save Japanese Officials in danger marrying the abused daughters of Yakuza members! Wow! WOW!
If CRNJAPAN leaves its scope of Japanese parental rights and starts broadening its focus to the Japanese police’s secret national agenda of systematically suppressing all the non-Japanese, they’re going to destroy the credibility that a lot of legitimate child/divorce/custody cases have worked so hard to build.
– Um, er, calm down? We’ve had some pretty incredible stories about the Japanese police and how they treat NJ in the past, that did in fact turn out to be true (like the arrest and detention of a 74-year-old NJ tourist for carrying a pocket knife, that elicited similar catcalls of disbelief?). And there’s plenty of evidence out there that the police and organized crime (if that is who is involved — you’re the one making the connection out loud) have colluded in the past. Don’t believe it? Fine. But calm down.
Look, we’ve got photos of a very badly beaten man and his computers sitting in a bathtub. This man clearly needs help and the case needs exposure. Putting this up on a blog is one way for that to happen (it quite frequently happens in the New Media nowadays). Cut this poor guy some slack, wont’cha?
November 16th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I hope he at least has a copy of his medical records and filed a written police report, so if it is ignored or not followed up on he has a paper trail.
I agree with Frodis – the only way this will get serious attention by the media is full disclosure. It wouldn’t take 5 minutes to find out who the person in question is considering the amount of personal information provided.
Less bias and speculation, more facts and solid information.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Al, a brick can’t be pressured into a confession. So obviously the police have no use for it.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
It sounds to me like there is more to this particular case than J-vs-NJ… this “powerful family” of the wife’s, I’m guessing is powerful in ways that don’t necessarily involve working through the official channels.
I wonder about the name issue though… if this man is really a doctor working for the government, the only foreigner to have risen to his position… shouldn’t someone be able to find out pretty easily who he is? (I’ve got no personal interest in trying to figure it out, he deserves his privacy… but it seems odd that such details about his career are given after so much other effort to hide his name and face) It also seems odd that he has “no money” to change the locks, if he’s got such a career he should at least have a credit card or the ability to get a loan.
I have no doubt that this really happened and was every bit as terrible as it looked. But I’m guessing that the brutality in this case has more to do with who the wife’s family is, than the fact that the husband was NJ.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I have one question about the CRN site: the photos. The two face photos really are of “Mick” after the incident, aren’t they? The story is presented like that’s his face, but the police box in the photo is from Seishoko-mae, which is in Tokyo, not Nara. Is that a stock photo? How about the photo of the blood on the floor?
(Assuming the face photo really is Mick, he’s pretty brave letting himself be photographed in that condition!)
November 16th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
The fact that the criminals were too dumb to not just smash the laptops with the same brick is curious.
I see how the senior citizen with the pocket knife is an argument for your point. On the other hand, it demonstrates to me how the police, rightly or wrongly, overreacts to the most mundane potential weapon. Which again makes the claim that the police ignored an assault weapon to be especially dubious.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:21 am
UPDATE
If you want to help Mick out financially:
Citibank Japan Ltd.
branchname：OsakaEkimae branch.
address：2F Oaska Dai‐ichi Seimei bldg、1‐8‐17 Umeda kita‐ku Osaka‐shi Osaka
branch swift code：CITIJPJT
acc number 7582231
ENDS
November 17th, 2009 at 3:32 am
I’m not sure about this one. Something is a tad fishy about the whole affair. This is, of course, not to say that it is not horrible, just that we seem to be missing some vital information to piece together this incident. With the information provided, it really seems like his ex(ish)-wife’s family actually hired some thug to hit him with a brick and attempt, rather ineptly, to destroy his computers.
The article itself is of questionable quality. It is written like the author is weaving us a tale rather than reporting an event. I realize that crnjapan is not a newspaper in any sense of the word but the language of the report itself becomes highly suspect when written in this format.
Thanks for posting this up, Debito… I do hope someone in the news media gives this some press.
November 17th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Taking this horrific incident at face value, I would be amazed if the Japanese police ignore it once it hits the international press, yakuza or not. I’m not saying they are perfect, but surely they don’t want to be shamed internationally for apparent inaction and incompetence.
November 17th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Johnny,
I would pretty much guarantee you that even if “Mick” was Japanese, he would’ve still have been treated similarly. These are no ordinary people. Being an NJ is not the main cause of this maltreatment.
November 17th, 2009 at 11:45 am
One casual observation if I may; for a highly accomplished doctor he seems rather poor even if his wife ran off with his cash. Aren’t doctors paid well in Japan? If so, why is he still out of cash and requiring donations. Excuse me for being cautious, but it seems to read like a hoax or neat fundraising story. I am willing to be proven wrong.
On another note, I have witnessed the tactics of members of the Nara ‘mob’ when one of their own left and moved into an apartment downstairs from mine. I can believe that such attacks are possible.
– If you think it is a hoax, don’t send any money.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
>>If you think it is a hoax, don’t send any money.
Hell, I want to believe but I have too many questions unanswered.
“Mick”, as an Australian has an topical story and access to programs such as A Current Affair in his home country. The necessary links are available to get his story heard so that a reputable news source can blow it open to the world.
I believe if we can validate the story via such means we can then focus energy on helping this chap or bring the publisher of the story to task. A sketchy story or biased blog potentially undermines the credibility of every NJ in Japan. Agree?
– Disagree.
November 17th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Debito, to send money, one needs the name of the recipient in addition to account number.
– Name has been withheld at the recipient’s request. Sorry.
November 17th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
“I know. That was withheld at the recipients request. Sorry.”
Does he know that many ATMs have the name-back function, so if the bank details and account number are entered correctly, the name is automatically populated/revealed…?
November 17th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
HO,
I don’t think that is correct – I don’t remember typing in names when I first created the furikomi cards that I regularly use, and I’m pretty sure I would if I’d had to do this as they are long and awkward strings of katakana. IIRC the ATM reveals the name which is enough to check the recipient is the intended one – but maybe if you do it through a bank clerk it’s different.
(come to think of it, the only place I’ve ever seen the katakana for one of them is on this card, payment instructions are always emailed out in English, so I don’t see how I could possibly have entered the name.)
November 17th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Hmm.
Yahoo says there was no rain on the 13th of November (0.0mm).
http://weather.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/past/29/6410.html
Article says it was “pouring rain”.
Is the date correct?
Also, the original article has been changed to make him a university employee now, not a doctor.
The picture of the koban not in Nara has been removed.
While I believe such an attack is possible, it doesn’t help anyone’s credibility go be shaky on the facts…
November 17th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Chris,
The original article said he worked for a university-affiliated hospital I believe, so the change is not entirely controversial, albeit misleading. Perhaps we can give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it was to protect the identity of “Mick,” but still they need to make things a bit more clear, I think (or the media, if they would only do their job…).
But it is interesting that there was no rain on the 13th, or the entire weekend for that matter.
– Yes, quite. I agree.
November 17th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
It is too bad Debito didn’t archive the original article for comparison. To give a few:
From the only foreign medical doctor to achieve the position (esteemed University hospital AND Ministry of Health) in the last 6 years saving countless children and being left in wills to “university employee in good standing”.
From waking up in his genkan then stumbling to the hospital while refusing assistance from the local police who are in on it all to waking up outside the local 7/11 (a nod to another modified earlier claim that the assailants could have placed him in a van and dumped him anywhere?).
From having not having even the money to add/ change the locks (on the advice of Mr. Smith prior to the alleged attack?) to the lawyers cleaning out what little he had left.
From stumbling to the hospital where he was supposedly employed has been deleted in favor or stumbling home while refusing assistance from the local police who are in on it all. Yet, they are still blamed for not taking the brick into evidence during their investigation of the scene (his home- which he would have had to grant permission for them to enter-BTW).
In other words, anything that could be relatively easily confirmed has been cleansed from version 2.
No doubt- a horrible crime has been committed. I truly hope justice is served.