Nikkei Chicago / 日系シカゴ
Documenting the untold stories of Nikkei (Japanese American) Chicago シカゴにおける日系人に関する記事のサイト
Adopting From Japan: One Chicago Couple’s Journey
By RYAN MASAAKI YOKOTA
For most parents in the United States, their first encounter with their child occurs at birth in an American hospital setting. For Jonathon and Mari, however, that first precious moment with their lively baby boy came at a Tokyo hotel when he was 11 days old.
Mari, a Japanese citizen living in Chicago with her American husband, related with tears in her eyes how she felt when they first met their son.
“We had knots in our stomachs. We were so nervous and we wondered to ourselves, ‘What are we doing?’ The adoption agency staff said they were downstairs and coming up. And when the elevator door opened, we just cried and cried.”
Entering into their lives with an abruptness similar to that experienced by parents at childbirth, the new addition to their family is one of only a handful of children adopted from Japan into the U.S. each year.
According to the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, only 21 children, all below the age of 6, were adopted into the country from Japan in 2012. . .
This is an excerpt of the story. For the rest of the story, please click here to go to the Japan Times article published on April 22, 2014:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/04/21/issues/adopting-child-japan-one-u-s-couples-story
Nikkei Chicago / 日系シカゴ 