Wife’s push to return husband jailed in Japan stalls
- Officer Lt. Ridge Alkonis was sentenced to three years in a Japanese prison
- His wife says a friendship with Japan is preventing movement on the case
- Ridge's arrest has not been classified as "wrongful detainment"
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(NewsNation) — The push to release Navy officer Lt. Ridge Alkonis from his three year sentence in a Japanese prison may have hit a wall.
His wife and advocate Brittany Alkonis met with the National Security Council group tasked with trying to negotiate the Ridge’s transfer to the U.S. Wednesday, but tells NewsNation she doesn’t see any movement.
Brittany says she and advocates working with her have tried everything, even speaking directly with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the National Security Advisor.
The lack of movement seems to be because of Japan’s relationship with the U.S. The two countries are allies and friends, which could indicate why there has been hesitation to treat this situation the way the U.S. has treated prisoner negotiations in Russia and China.
“If he were in Russia, if he were in Venezuela, there’s a number of countries where people have gotten out recently because the U.S. is willing to publicly say, publicly condemn the fact that they’re being held and they shouldn’t be. But no one is willing to take the hard line with Japan,” Brittany said.
The State Department has not classified Ridge’s arrest as a “wrongful detainment,” but NewsNation’s sources on Capitol Hill say there’s widespread agreement he was treated unfairly by the Japanese justice system.
Brittany is continuing to fight, but it’s taken an emotional toll on her and her children.
“He said he can’t look at those pictures anymore because then when the kids come in, they’re so different. They’ve grown so much. And it’s just hard for him to have that reality in his face, you know. How much he’s missing. So that’s the hardest thing for him,” Brittany said.
