Iraq War Vet Fights for Return of Children Taken by Estranged Wife to Japan

His marriage soon fell apart and his wife, Mayumi Nakamura, did the unthinkable when she violated a Bergen County court order and fled in December 2008 with the couple's 2-year-old son, Michael, and 4-year-old daughter, Jade, back to her native Japan. In Japan, a lack of child-custody laws means Elias, a former sergeant of the United States Marine Corps, has basically lost all rights to see his children or have them return stateside.

The former soldier has been fighting to get back his children ever since, reaching out to local congressmen and testifying on Capitol Hill to no avail.

“It’s not that they won’t do anything. They can’t do anything,” Elias said. “They’ve had some dialogue, but it’s like beating a dead horse. Every time, they [Japan] say they are willing to co-operate, but it’s been three years. How much longer are they going to be willing?”

Japan is the only nation in the Group of Seven not to sign the Hague Convention treaty, which focuses on the civil aspects of international child abduction.

“Abducted children are at risk of serious emotional and psychological problems. The U.S. government has a duty to protect these children and fight for their parents who have a right and want to meet their responsibilities of raising their own children," said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who traveled with Elias’ family to Japan this past February in an attempt to see the children.

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