"I AM DOING EVERYTHING TO GET MY CHILDREN BACK, KIDNAPPED BY THEIR MOTHER 8 YEARS AGO"
Vincent Fichot recounts eight years of fighting to find his children taken to Japan.
- Show : The interview of Pile ou Face, aired on October 7, 2026, 30:51.
- People discussed : Vincent Fichot.
- Topics : parental abduction, Japan, international justice, fathers' rights, French diplomacy.
- Source : transcript of the show, 1 446 views on YouTube.
What is said in the show
Vincent Fichot describes August 10, 2018, the day he comes home from work in Tokyo to find his house emptied and his two children gone. His lawyer immediately tells him he will never see them again. The French consulate advises him to keep quiet so as not to strain diplomatic relations. Since then, he has had no proof of life from his children: Tsubasa, who was 3 years old, and Kaide, who was 11 months old. He explains the Japanese legal system, where taking a child is not illegal, as the child is treated as household property. He denounces French diplomatic inaction and accumulates content in Japanese on social media so that his children can one day find him.
Chapters
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:07The day his children disappeared
- 6:38Eight years with no proof of life
- 10:16PILE OU FACE #1 - The last image of his children
- 13:03The hunger strike during the Tokyo Olympics
- 15:05The strength discovered through the fight
- 16:13A message to his children if they ever watch this
- 19:49The Japanese legal system explained
- 23:03French justice, diplomacy and Emmanuel Macron
- 27:07Rebuilding himself for the day of reunion
Key moments
« I very quickly realized it was going to be a solitary fight and I very quickly hired a private detective and lawyers. »
Vincent Fichot · at 3:16
« Sometimes I feel my little one's hand on my shoulder at night and it wakes me up, even though of course he's not there. »
Vincent Fichot · at 0:11
« Above all, Mr. Fichot, no noise, because we don't want to clash with the Japanese authorities. »
Vincent Fichot · at 24:09
« I think my children were sacrificed on the altar of diplomacy and trade. »
Vincent Fichot · at 25:41
« I will accumulate all my media appearances, translate them into Japanese, so that when they want to create an account on any social network, they can see that an account in their name already exists. »
Vincent Fichot · at 27:53
