The world of Japanese Parental Abduction took a turn for the worse today.  You may be thinking in what way could you ever make things worse being that the empire of Japan has abducted between 20,000 and 30,000 children over the past 50 years.  Surprisingly, it seems that President Obama has decided to overlook the issue of foreign children imprisoned in Japan on his recent visit with Prime Minister Hatoyama.  The United States President thought it better to give his condolences to the

families of Japanese abducted by North Korea rather than addressing what could be called the final nail in Japan’s coffin.  The President turned his back on those who he was elected to protect by letting the Japanese Government off the hook once again.   Even with the fact that like every other President before him, President Obama has let us down there is currently a situation that is not only more vile, but has brought the Japanese police force to all new lows.

     This story starts off just like every other Japanese denial of visitation.  The father comes home after a long day at work in the Japanese Metropolis and is either summarily barred from entering his own home, or the wife has disappeared with the children never to be heard from again.  Usually, either issue leads to mediation, court cases, mediation again, and the outlaying of millions of Japanese yen before a penniless, humiliated Dad gives up and waits until the children are old enough to reach out to him.  We have all heard about the sad cases of Japanese parents in a foreign land abducting their children back to Japan against Foreign court orders.  We may have even heard of the countless cases of parents never seeing their children after divorce at the whim of a useless Japanese “court.”   This case however is unlike any seen before.  The Japanese hit all time lows in the days that followed Mick Hogan’s* daughter being removed from the family home.

     Mick is an Australian by birth.   He is a trained physician and has given the past six years of his life to saving the lives of Japanese Nationals.  Mick works in one of the most prestigious University Hospitals in Japan.  Mick serves on the Japanese Governments health ministry as well as being sent into dangerous situations when a Japanese Official was in need of rescue.

  In fact he is the only foreign physician to be awarded the positions he has been attained over the past six years.  Numerous Japanese parents have cried to Mick over the years to help their babies.  A few have even added him to their wills.  Mick was a man that before his child was abducted was considered at statue with Japanese elite.  Unbeknownst to Mick his status would quickly disintegrate as he fought to regain control of own flesh and blood.

     Without cause, and while still deeply in love Mick and his wife Yoko* felt a huge thorn as it was wedged between them.  Mick’s wife’s family was the infamous Watanabe family.  The Watanabes* were a powerful clan in the Kansai region on Japan’s main island of Honshu.  The family loved having a famous gaijin around as long as he served their whimsy.  Mick and Yoko shared years of happiness which bore them a child.  Years passed and Yoko became more and more distant.   Yoko was diagnosed with a mental disorder and shortly after the Watanabe Family’s whimsy was lost.  At that moment life as Mick knew it would change forever.    Yoko’s father had decided that little Megumi* no longer needed the influence of a white man, and commanded Yoko to return to the family compound.  Torn between her love and being part of the Japanese Clan, Yoko chose the latter.  She would miss Mick, but knew she had no choice other than to follow her father, and of course the child would  remain with her.  

    Mick told me that he worried that there might be some misconduct going on in the Watanabe house.  The mental issues Yoko had dealt with were the result of years of abuse from her father.  Mick feared that the same thing would happen to his little Megumi.  This understanding made it imperative for Mick to enlist the help of his Ambassador.    The Foreign Affairs division

of the Australian Embassy referred Mick to the local Osaka Consulate and Counselor John Alexander.* 

    Mick followed the rules and went to see John.  John along with his assistant Miyuki* spent the next few weeks helping Mick wade through the endless red tape.  Mick had very little money left since Yoko had emptied the family accounts before her departure.   The Consulate suggested to Mick that he employ an attorney.  So in the end Mick was forced to spend every last dime in hopes of seeing his little girl again.

     In the time where Mick was filing his case in the Nara courts he received a number of phone calls from Yoko, and her family.  The calls started with “leave us alone”, and gradually evolved to “we will kill you.”  Mick also had them on tape yelling these horrific things in front of little Megumi.  She was heard crying in the background as her father was being cut down.  In Japan this is considered child abuse, and Mick had it recorded on his cell phone.  With the recordings, and the previous abuse Yoko dealt with Mick was told by the Australian Consulate that he had a very good case.  John Alexander suggested to Mick that he go immediately to the head police office in Nara thereby bypassing the local koban mentality.

     On Mick’s first visit to the head office he found the Employees very gracious.  They listened and took a report telling him that they would get his information to the proper department.  It is too bad that the proper department found it proper to contact the Watanabe’s and inform them of the fact that Mick was planning to file a case in with the police in reference to the abuse.  Both the police and the Watanabe family knew this couldn't be allowed.  What followed was not only a gross abuse of power, but a cowardly attack by Japanese Police.

     Over the following weeks Mick made reports of being followed, and the general feeling that someone had been in his house whilst he was out.   The Watanabe family had a key to Mick’s home and regularly entered without as much as a knock.  Mick and I  spoke about him making his house more secure by not only changing the locks, but adding more.  The only issue with this was the fact that Mick had no funds available to do anything other than live day to day until his next paycheck arrived.  Mick had been trained to think on his feet in the military which gave him an over inflated sense of security.  He assured me he would hear someone coming.

     Mick spoke again with John Alexander at the consulate.  He was advised by John this time to return to the Nara Police headquarters and file a follow up report.  This trip however was not even close to the gracious experience he had on his initial visit.   When Mick left the house he grabbed his voice recorder before heading into Nara.  Upon his arrival he was directed to an investigation room to meet with the Officer in charge.*

     Mick pulled out his Mini Disc recorder and was up front with the Japanese policeman about his intentions regarding the recording.  Mick had previously been advised to do anything and everything necessary to make sure his rights were upheld when speaking with the police.  Mick started recording. 

His requests for assistance were denied.  He was told that his lawyer had nothing against the Watanabe’s.  The cell phone recordings were also not enough and Yoko now claimed her father had never touched her.   The police yelled at Mick turning the blame to him.  Mick exclaimed the interview was over and walked out the door.  He returned home and went on to trying to get back to some semblance of normalcy.  That wasn’t to be however.  The following day when Mick left for the hospital little did he know that he would later return there as a patient.  Mick again reported that he had been followed. 

     After finishing up at work Mick decided to grab a bite to eat.  He enjoyed a good meal and a cold beer hoping to take the edge off.  Mick felt more at ease than he had in the days prior.  In the early part of the evening he finished up and made his way home.  The quiet walk along the main street brought him closer to the house.  As he stepped up it seemed that everything was as usual.   No need to worry.  Mick was still feeling relaxed as he had felt at dinner.

     As he opened the front door and entered the gencan it was but a split second before he was hit squarely in the forehead with a brick.  Possibly two gentlemen had been waiting in the dark for Mick.  They continued to kick him in the head and from that point Mick was unconscious.

  It is unknown what the immediate events which followed were since the beating took the last bit of strength the ex-army surgeon had.  They could have stuffed him in a van and driven off.  We will never know for sure, but Mick wound up 4 ½ hours later near a local bus station in the pouring rain.  No shoes, no jacket..

   Mick awoke when he was approached by locals.  They were genuinely concerned about his condition as he bled from numerous wounds.  They helped him to his feet and as hard as he could as he began to hobble home.  The doctor had gotten enough strength back to begin his trek.  He was approached along the ten minute march by the local police and was questioned over and over again about what had happened.  Mick refused to answer any questions while he was on the move.  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.”

     When Mick returned home his house was a mess.  Just a day prior Mick had used his laptop to transfer the recordings with police and when he returned it was in a tub full of water. 

His second laptop had been submerged as well.  Mick has been thrust into an underworld of ridiculous behavior.  It is amazing to think that a people so concerned with “look” could continue to destroy all international norms.

    Even though the Nara Police department refused to take the brick into evidence, Mick will continue on his fight.  He will work his way through the numerous stages of mediation and court all the while refusing to give up on any of the slight chances he still has.  I have requested he take care of his health, but Mick refuses to give up.   He claims if anyone tries anything again they wont be a lucky as the first pair.  Mick is taking a stand.  Good Luck Japan.

* All names and locations have been changed to protect identities.