Frenchman goes on hunger strike to demand to see his two 'kidnapped' children

For three weeks, Vincent Vichaux sat in front of a train station, demanding to see his two children.

AFP

A Frenchman who went on a hunger strike in Tokyo to demand to see his two children says he has ended his protest for surgery after he broke his finger after a fall.

For three weeks, Vincent Vicho sat in front of a train station near the Olympic stadium, demanding to see his two children, who he says were kidnapped by their Japanese mother in 2018. The 39-year-old and former financial sector employee said he ended his hunger strike to recover before surgery under general anaesthesia.

He said he broke his finger in a fall on Wednesday, and after losing nearly 14 kilograms since his protest began on July 10 when he weighed 80 kilograms.

"Thank you everyone for the support," Vicho wrote in a tweet.

The battle continues.”

Joint custody of children in cases of divorce or separation does not exist legally in Japan, where abductions by parents are common and often condoned by local authorities.

Fishu, who has lived in Japan for 15 years, says his wife accused him in court of domestic violence, but later retracted the accusation.

The wife's lawyer declined to answer questions from AFP earlier this month, denouncing "biased" media reports.

In the absence of official figures, human rights groups estimate that approximately 150,000 minors are forcibly separated from one parent each year in Japan.

French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the issue with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last week, during his visit to Japan to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

But Ficho, who has not seen his six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter since August 2018, said Macron's appeal "did not change anything" in his situation.

Before announcing the cancellation of his protest, Vicho visited 10 ambassadors from the European Union, expressing support for his cause.

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