Todd Zaun/IHT, July 17
After more than two decades of living in near obscurity, the former world
chess champion Bobby Fischer was arrested by the Japanese immigration
authorities Friday on charges of trying to leave the country without a valid
passport.
A U.S. Embassy official in Tokyo confirmed that Fischer had been detained at
Narita airport. It was not immediately clear if Fischer would be handed over to
the United States under its extradition treaty with Japan, and an employee of
the Tokyo Immigration Bureau at Narita refused to comment.
But the detention gives Japan a chance to show its cooperation with the United
States just days before Charles Jenkins, 64, an American accused of deserting
from the U.S. Army, is to arrive in Tokyo for medical treatment, setting the
stage for a possible extradition battle between Japan and the United States.
U.S. officials say they will seek custody of Jenkins, a former sergeant who has
appeared in North Korean propaganda films during his nearly four decades living
there. He is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Sunday with his wife, a Japanese
abducted by North Korea in 1978, and their two daughters. Responding to public
sentiment, the Japanese government has appealed for leniency for Jenkins so that
the family can live together. There has been no such support for Fischer, 61,
who faces charges of violating U.S. economic sanctions against the former
Yugoslavia by playing an exhibition match there in 1992.
He has been in exile from the United States since he was indicted later that
year by a federal grand jury for violating the sanctions.
Fischer collected a $3.3 million purse for beating Boris Spassky in the Yugoslav
contest, a rematch of the famous 1972 match that Fischer won to become the world
chess champion. Fischer lost his title three years later when he refused to
defend it against Anatoly Karpov of the Soviet Union.
Fischer, an eccentric genius, has reportedly been living abroad for the last two
decades in places such as Germany, the Philippines and Switzerland. He was on
his way to the Philippines when detained, according to the Kyodo news agency. It
is not clear how long he had been staying in Japan.
The United Nations imposed sanctions against Yugoslavia for supporting Serbian
aggression in Bosnia, and the United States banned its citizens from doing
business there.
Fischer ignored a formal U.S. warning against playing the match, even spitting
at the letter on which it was written during a news conference.
By contrast, the question of how to handle the Jenkins case is being discussed
at the highest levels of the U.S. and Japanese governments, according to Howard
Baker, the U.S. ambassador to Japan. "This is a matter of extraordinary
importance," he said.
Jenkins's wife, Hitomi Soga, is one of five Japanese abductees who were allowed
to return to Japan from North Korea two years ago after being held for decades
to teach Japanese to North Korean spies.
Fearing extradition to the United States, Jenkins stayed behind in North Korea
along with the couple's two daughters, Mika, 21, and Belinda, 18, until just
this month. Jenkins was reunited with his wife in Jakarta after 21 months apart.
The reunion took place in Jakarta because Indonesia does not have an extradition
treaty with the United States. U.S. and Japanese officials say Jenkins, who
comes from Rich Square, North Carolina, is in extremely poor health and needs
sophisticated medical attention. The nature of his ailments have not been
disclosed.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appealed directly to President George W. Bush
for assurances that Jenkins would not be court-martialed. Jenkins's fate has
been the subject of intense media attention in Japan, where the family's
attempts to reunite have been covered as a real-life drama.
There is no indication that the United States might back down from its stance
that Jenkins be handed over.
"He is classified as a deserter, and the U.S. will seek custody if and when he
comes to Japan," Baker told reporters Thursday.
But he suggested that the United States might not move quickly.
"We're mindful and sympathetic to his health condition, and that will be taken
account of," Baker said.
"It's certainly possible he could come to Japan, that the United States would
insist on its rights, but that actual custody would not be sought or consummated
under some circumstances," Baker said. "But the important point is, the United
States does not recede from its classification of Jenkins as a deserter."
International Herald Tribune TOKYO After more than two decades of living in near
obscurity, the former world chess champion Bobby Fischer was arrested by the
Japanese immigration authorities Friday on charges of trying to leave the
country without a valid passport.
A U.S. Embassy official in Tokyo confirmed that Fischer had been detained at
Narita airport. It was not immediately clear if Fischer would be handed over to
the United States under its extradition treaty with Japan, and an employee of
the Tokyo Immigration Bureau at Narita refused to comment.
But the detention gives Japan a chance to show its cooperation with the United
States just days before Charles Jenkins, 64, an American accused of deserting
from the U.S. Army, is to arrive in Tokyo for medical treatment, setting the
stage for a possible extradition battle between Japan and the United States.
U.S. officials say they will seek custody of Jenkins, a former sergeant who has
appeared in North Korean propaganda films during his nearly four decades living
there. He is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Sunday with his wife, a Japanese
abducted by North Korea in 1978, and their two daughters. Responding to public
sentiment, the Japanese government has appealed for leniency for Jenkins so that
the family can live together. There has been no such support for Fischer, 61,
who faces charges of violating U.S. economic sanctions against the former
Yugoslavia by playing an exhibition match there in 1992.
He has been in exile from the United States since he was indicted later that
year by a federal grand jury for violating the sanctions.
Fischer collected a $3.3 million purse for beating Boris Spassky in the Yugoslav
contest, a rematch of the famous 1972 match that Fischer won to become the world
chess champion. Fischer lost his title three years later when he refused to
defend it against Anatoly Karpov of the Soviet Union.
Fischer, an eccentric genius, has reportedly been living abroad for the last two
decades in places such as Germany, the Philippines and Switzerland. He was on
his way to the Philippines when detained, according to the Kyodo news agency. It
is not clear how long he had been staying in Japan.
The United Nations imposed sanctions against Yugoslavia for supporting Serbian
aggression in Bosnia, and the United States banned its citizens from doing
business there.
Fischer ignored a formal U.S. warning against playing the match, even spitting
at the letter on which it was written during a news conference.
By contrast, the question of how to handle the Jenkins case is being discussed
at the highest levels of the U.S. and Japanese governments, according to Howard
Baker, the U.S. ambassador to Japan. "This is a matter of extraordinary
importance," he said.
Jenkins's wife, Hitomi Soga, is one of five Japanese abductees who were allowed
to return to Japan from North Korea two years ago after being held for decades
to teach Japanese to North Korean spies.
Fearing extradition to the United States, Jenkins stayed behind in North Korea
along with the couple's two daughters, Mika, 21, and Belinda, 18, until just
this month. Jenkins was reunited with his wife in Jakarta after 21 months apart.
The reunion took place in Jakarta because Indonesia does not have an extradition
treaty with the United States. U.S. and Japanese officials say Jenkins, who
comes from Rich Square, North Carolina, is in extremely poor health and needs
sophisticated medical attention. The nature of his ailments have not been
disclosed.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appealed directly to President George W. Bush
for assurances that Jenkins would not be court-martialed. Jenkins's fate has
been the subject of intense media attention in Japan, where the family's
attempts to reunite have been covered as a real-life drama.
There is no indication that the United States might back down from its stance
that Jenkins be handed over.
"He is classified as a deserter, and the U.S. will seek custody if and when he
comes to Japan," Baker told reporters Thursday.
But he suggested that the United States might not move quickly.
"We're mindful and sympathetic to his health condition, and that will be taken
account of," Baker said.
"It's certainly possible he could come to Japan, that the United States would
insist on its rights, but that actual custody would not be sought or consummated
under some circumstances," Baker said. "But the important point is, the United
States does not recede from its classification of Jenkins as a deserter."
International Herald Tribune TOKYO After more than two decades of living in near
obscurity, the former world chess champion Bobby Fischer was arrested by the
Japanese immigration authorities Friday on charges of trying to leave the
country without a valid passport.
A U.S. Embassy official in Tokyo confirmed that Fischer had been detained at
Narita airport. It was not immediately clear if Fischer would be handed over to
the United States under its extradition treaty with Japan, and an employee of
the Tokyo Immigration Bureau at Narita refused to comment.
But the detention gives Japan a chance to show its cooperation with the United
States just days before Charles Jenkins, 64, an American accused of deserting
from the U.S. Army, is to arrive in Tokyo for medical treatment, setting the
stage for a possible extradition battle between Japan and the United States.
U.S. officials say they will seek custody of Jenkins, a former sergeant who has
appeared in North Korean propaganda films during his nearly four decades living
there. He is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Sunday with his wife, a Japanese
abducted by North Korea in 1978, and their two daughters. Responding to public
sentiment, the Japanese government has appealed for leniency for Jenkins so that
the family can live together. There has been no such support for Fischer, 61,
who faces charges of violating U.S. economic sanctions against the former
Yugoslavia by playing an exhibition match there in 1992.
He has been in exile from the United States since he was indicted later that
year by a federal grand jury for violating the sanctions.
Fischer collected a $3.3 million purse for beating Boris Spassky in the Yugoslav
contest, a rematch of the famous 1972 match that Fischer won to become the world
chess champion. Fischer lost his title three years later when he refused to
defend it against Anatoly Karpov of the Soviet Union.
Fischer, an eccentric genius, has reportedly been living abroad for the last two
decades in places such as Germany, the Philippines and Switzerland. He was on
his way to the Philippines when detained, according to the Kyodo news agency. It
is not clear how long he had been staying in Japan.
The United Nations imposed sanctions against Yugoslavia for supporting Serbian
aggression in Bosnia, and the United States banned its citizens from doing
business there.
Fischer ignored a formal U.S. warning against playing the match, even spitting
at the letter on which it was written during a news conference.
By contrast, the question of how to handle the Jenkins case is being discussed
at the highest levels of the U.S. and Japanese governments, according to Howard
Baker, the U.S. ambassador to Japan. "This is a matter of extraordinary
importance," he said.
.
Jenkins's wife, Hitomi Soga, is one of five Japanese abductees who were allowed
to return to Japan from North Korea two years ago after being held for decades
to teach Japanese to North Korean spies.
Fearing extradition to the United States, Jenkins stayed behind in North Korea
along with the couple's two daughters, Mika, 21, and Belinda, 18, until just
this month. Jenkins was reunited with his wife in Jakarta after 21 months apart.
The reunion took place in Jakarta because Indonesia does not have an extradition
treaty with the United States. U.S. and Japanese officials say Jenkins, who
comes from Rich Square, North Carolina, is in extremely poor health and needs
sophisticated medical attention. The nature of his ailments have not been
disclosed.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appealed directly to President George W. Bush
for assurances that Jenkins would not be court-martialed. Jenkins's fate has
been the subject of intense media attention in Japan, where the family's
attempts to reunite have been covered as a real-life drama.
There is no indication that the United States might back down from its stance
that Jenkins be handed over.
"He is classified as a deserter, and the U.S. will seek custody if and when he
comes to Japan," Baker told reporters Thursday.
But he suggested that the United States might not move quickly.
"We're mindful and sympathetic to his health condition, and that will be taken
account of," Baker said.
"It's certainly possible he could come to Japan, that the United States would
insist on its rights, but that actual custody would not be sought or consummated
under some circumstances," Baker said. "But the important point is, the United
States does not recede from its classification of Jenkins as a deserter."
International Herald Tribune