Family of US Navy officer imprisoned in Japan due to horrific vehicle accident asks Biden to step in

In an effort to draw President Joe Biden’s attention to the matter, the family of a US Navy member detained in Japan staged a demonstration outside the White House on Wednesday.
In October, Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis was given a three-year prison term in Japan for what the country’s authorities considered to be his reckless driving killing of two Japanese residents in May 2021. Alkonis appealed, but last month his sentence was upheld.
Alkonis has claimed that on May 29, 2021, while traveling from Mount Fuji with his family, he experienced acute mountain sickness that caused him to lose consciousness behind the wheel, which resulted in the fatal collision. The disaster claimed the lives of an 85-year-old woman and her 54-year-old son-in-law.
Alkonis’ claim that he became ill was rejected by the Japanese high court, which instead accused him of dozing off behind the wheel. According to those criteria, Alkonis’ sentence might have been lengthier; the Japanese government estimates that he might have been subject to a seven-year prison term under Japanese law.
However, Alkonis’ family has contended that he was ill, not careless, and as a result, did not commit a crime. Additionally, they mentioned that they provided the relatives of the victims with almost $1 million in restitution, as is usual in Japan.
“The reason we think it’s unfair is because his Japanese attorney said that people that have been in situations like his that have made a complete settlement—0% of them have gone to prison,” Brittany Alkonis, Ridge’s wife, told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview on “The Lead” on Wednesday.
Referring to the restitution payment, she told Tapper, “Our settlement, well, settlements in general, are very important. They’re a very important part of the Japanese judicial system. The one we made was incredibly large.”
Referring to the restitution payment, she told Tapper, “Our settlement, well, settlements in general, are very important. They’re a very important part of the Japanese judicial system. The one we made was incredibly large.”
No member of the US government has publicly said Alkonis did not receive a fair trial, but discussions have been taking place about bringing him back to the US to serve out his sentence, multiple sources told CNN.
The Biden administration has been pushed to do more to aid in Alkonis’ release by his family and allies, including Democratic Rep. Mike Levin of California and Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. They claim that he was unjustly imprisoned by Japanese officials, held in solitary detention, and questioned for nearly a month before being prosecuted, and that he was denied a comprehensive medical examination following the accident that may have revealed his mountain illness.
“My husband was the victim of a medical emergency, yet he’s being treated like a criminal,” Brittany Alkonis said during a press conference on Wednesday. “Who is being punished the most by this injustice? It’s our three innocent children that miss their father every day.”
The Japanese government was urged to take into account expelling Alkonis, who is currently serving a three-year prison sentence in Japan, by twenty republican senators in a letter they sent to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this month. They argued that the “full nature” of the situation had not been taken into account. A Navy investigation’s finding that Alkonis lost consciousness due to severe altitude sickness was also mentioned.
“With these considerations in mind, we respectfully and humbly ask that you will consider our request for the expulsion of Lieutenant Alkonis from Japan, allowing him to return to his wife and three children in the United States,” the senators wrote in a letter reviewed by CNN, laying out specifics about the incident such as there being no alcohol or drugs involved in the crash.
“We are extremely troubled by the three-year prison sentence Lieutenant Alkonis received on October 18, 2021,” they wrote. “Japanese nationals convicted of the same crime are routinely granted leniency. In fact, 95% of similarly charged defendants get a suspended sentence, meaning they do not serve prison time.” They did not provide a source for their claim about leniency being granted for similar cases.
According to Lee of CNN, this week the Japanese ambassador in Washington responded to the letter on behalf of the prime minister by stating that the court decision is final and that the Japanese government will keep collaborating with the US on “potential actions” moving forward.
“I am encouraged by it,” Lee said of the response, adding that it “didn’t dismiss the possibility of expulsion and expressed a willingness and an inclination to continue working with the US to discuss potential actions going forward.”
Based on the two countries’ agreement on the status of their armed forces, Lee claimed that Japan could deport Alkonis.
The Japanese embassy in Washington has been contacted by CNN for comment.
According to a US Navy spokesperson who spoke to CNN, Alkonis’ sentence is “uncommonly disproportionate” in their opinion.
“This was a tragic event that resulted in the loss of two precious lives, and tremendous pain for everyone involved,” said the spokeswoman, Cmdr. Katie Cerezo. “We respect the judicial process. However, we are disappointed with the result, which we believe is uncommonly disproportionate given the mitigating evidence.”
According to numerous sources who spoke with CNN, the US government has been in communication with the Japanese government about the matter, and both US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and national security adviser Jake Sullivan have been pleading with Japan to consent to a prisoner transfer in accordance with Council of Europe guidelines.
In essence, the procedure would allow Alkonis to return to the US and serve the remainder of his term in a US jail while the US Sentencing Commission considers whether his punishment was reasonable.
“I think our posture as a government is to try to make for a better resolution to this matter, recognizing a ton of heartbreak from many people involved in this,” said an administration official when discussing the situation. “There’s a relatively regular dialogue between the US and Japan on this. It is not just a one-time thing.”
The National Security Council refused to respond to questions.
Alkonis’ family and Emanuel spoke about the notion of a prisoner transfer in July, but a source close to the family told CNN that Alkonis and his family find the concept “totally unacceptable.”
“The family is not OK with Ridge coming back in handcuffs, and for him to be a felon in two countries,” the source said, adding that Alkonis would lose his right to vote in the US, among other penalties. The source added that the idea appeared to simply be an “easy out” that elements of the US government were considering.
Jonathan Franks, a spokesperson for the family, echoed that sentiment during Wednesday’s news conference. “The Council of Europe treaty, also known as a prisoner of transfer treaty, is not an acceptable remedy here for the family,” he said. “That would involve Ridge coming home in custody, going to federal prison, waiting some period of months for the sentencing commission to act, and affix a charge and a sentence to the foreign offense, which would leave him a felon in his own country, for something that would never have been charged in this country and that’s unacceptable.”
Franks added that “so far, none of the agencies nor the White House can explain an outcome under the prisoner transfer treaty that won’t be that, and it’s just not acceptable to ask someone that’s rendered extraordinary service to this country to come home in handcuffs.”
National Security Council representatives declined to comment.
The notion of a prisoner transfer was brought up by Emanuel with Alkonis’ family in July, but a source close to the family told CNN that Alkonis and his family find the concept “totally unacceptable.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday that the department is “continuing to monitor the situation with the Department of Defense and our embassy in Tokyo to explore all options for finding a successful resolution that is consistent with US law, with Japanese law, as well as with existing treaties.”
Price attested that Emanuel had communicated with the Alkonis family, parliamentarians, his counterparts in the US military, and representatives of the Japanese government.
“Department of State officials here in Washington have also been in touch with their Japanese counterparts at the Japanese embassy here, and the embassy in Tokyo is coordinating with the Department of Defense to provide all appropriate assistance,” he said.
Brittany Alkonis said on Wednesday, however, that time is running out — when her husband runs out of leave days from the US Navy, her family will lose “all pay and benefits,” she said.
“We will be forced to leave Japan with no income, no insurance, and it will be impossible for me and my kids to visit or even speak to Ridge for the next three years,” Brittany Alkonis said. She told Tapper that “if we leave, that means that we’ll go three years without seeing Ridge, without talking to Ridge, there are no phone privileges.” She said that since her husband has been imprisoned, she’s been allowed one 20-minute meeting with him.
Brittany Alkonis declared that she would stay outside the White House today, tomorrow, and for however many days it would take for her to receive an invitation to come inside and speak with the US government about her husband’s detention.
According to Trevor Reed, an American citizen and former Marine who spent two years in prison in Russia, Alkonis is being detained in severe prison circumstances with limited access to his family. Reed was present during the White House demonstration.
“They’ve imprisoned him for three years, where he’s going to be in a place where he has the limited ability to even write and receive letters, no phone calls,” Reed said. “The conditions inside the Japanese prison are not a joke.”
Reed requested intervention from the White House and the Department of Defense.
“The United States has the ability to get Ridge out and to get him out immediately, so they need to do that,” Reed said.

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