Ai Fukuhara, the renowned table tennis sensation who retired from competition in 2018, has been accused by her ex-husband of abducting their son, with the high-profile dispute putting a spotlight on the longstanding issue of alleged international child abductions by Japanese spouses.
Fukuhara’s ex-husband, Taiwanese table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh, has accused her of refusing to let their son return to Taiwan. Chiang made the comments at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on Thursday, adding that a court in Japan ruled on July 20 that Fukuhara was required to hand over their son.
Chiang filed for divorce from Fukuhara two years ago, with both reportedly agreeing to joint custody while in Taiwan.