[This story was written by Japan CRN based on published media reports and FBI website information. We used to have more detailed information available that was written by Patrick, but he asked us to remove it.]

Also see the Lost Parent Page for Melissa Braden.

More Information

Information on arrest warrants for Ryoko Uchiyama

FBI case information

Harboring stolen children: int'l kidnappers find safe haven in Japan; Kyodo News; September 17, 2007. (cached copy)

Missing: Melissa Braden; The Early Show on CBS; July 9, 2007. (cached copy) Update on September 2006 report. The video version shows Pat going around to congressional offices in Washington DC dropping off flyers. The announcer says that the US State Dept reports 17 active cases out of 1200 worldwide and that Japan does not recognize parental kidnapping as a crime.

Part 1 of 4: Frustrated Fathers of Abducted Children Turn to Public for Support; (By Kirsten Brown Scripps Howard Foundation Wire) Washington, December 15, 2006. Four fathers quietly filed into a theater to watch "Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story," a documentary about North Korea's kidnapping of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. If the names Walter Benda, Patrick Braden, Chris Kenyon and Paul Toland don't sound Japanese, it's because they're not. But their children are half-Japanese, and these fathers say Japan has committed the same crime against them that Japan accuses North Korea of committing.

Part 3 of 4: Restraining Order Doesn't Stop Mother From Taking 1-year-old; (By Kirsten Brown Scripps Howard Foundation Wire) Washington, December 15, 2006. Patrick Braden spent only the first 11 months of his daughter's life with her before she was taken across the Pacific by her mother, Ryoko Uchiyama. The night before their disappearance, Braden received a peculiar phone call from his ex-girlfriend, Uchiyama, who asked if he would like to spend a little time with their infant daughter, Melissa.

Missing: Melissa Braden; The Early Show on CBS; September 19, 2006. This is a transcript of a television interview with Patrick and FBI agent Herb Brown. (cached copy)

The Dana Pretzer Show - Patrick Braden discussed his case on this radio show on Feb 7, 2007. (Downloadable MP3 is available.)

In 2004, Patrick Braden had a child, Melissa, with Ryoko Uchiyama, a Japanese woman who was living in the US, and according to the FBI website, has also used the name Ryoko Lin. At a couple months old, the mother decided that she wanted to go back to Japan for several years with their child. According to Pat on the Dana Pretzer Show, she wanted to improve the relationship with her parents and life would be easier financially. Sources describe a custody battle going on; then despite a court order against travel and ordering Ryoko to turn over her passport, on March 16, 2006, she fled to Japan with Melissa. Pat reportedly believes that Ryoko brought her to Ryoko's mother's house. The CBS Early Show reports that Pat claims to has been warned by US government officials not to go to Japan because he could be arrested.

Pat said on the radio that he wanted to send Melissa a message like: “Your Daddy lovers you. He cares about you and cares about your well being.”

Pat is currently lobbying politicians in Washington DC asking for an agreement between the US and Japan on this issue.

Timeline (under construction)

Date	Event / Court Decision	Documentation (original language first)
April 6, 2005	Melissa was born	English / Japanese
March 16, 2006	Ryoko Uchiyama abducts Melissa	English / Japanese
March 27, 2006	The Superior Court of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles issues arrest warrant for Child Custody Deprivation of Melissa.	English / Japanese
May 15, 2006	A federal arrest warrant was issued on May 15, 2006, by the United States District Court, Central District of California	English / Japanese

The information on this website concerns a matter of public interest, and is provided for educational and informational purposes only in order to raise public awareness of issues concerning left-behind parents. Unless otherwise indicated, the writers and translators of this website are not lawyers nor professional translators, so be sure to confirm anything important with your own lawyer.
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