Mystery Deepening in Surrogacy Case Involving Japanese Man

Bangkok, Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)--Some 10 days after the unusual case of numerous surrogate children believed to be fathered by a 24-year-old Japanese man came to light in Thailand, the mystery about why he needed so many children only deepened amid the lack of evidence of criminality. The Japanese man, who is believed to have fathered at least 16 surrogate babies in Thailand, has said that he wanted to have 10-15 babies each year and that his plan was to have a total of 100 to 1,000 children. The man is said to be a wealthy businessman and his lawyer reportedly said the man wanted to have children who can inherit his assets. The Thai police are investigating the case with an eye on the possibility of charging the Japanese man with human trafficking or other crimes. However, a Thai police executive said there is no sufficient evidence to prove the man's guilt. Some say the Japanese man's motive is to lighten the burden of inheritance taxes, but this still remains a matter of speculation. According to Mariam Kukunashvili, a cofounder of reproductive medical service provider New Life Global Network, which introduced two surrogate mothers to the Japanese man last year, the man jokingly said he wanted run in an election when a staff member of the organization asked him why he wanted to have so many children. When a different staff member asked the same question, the man said that life is short and that the best thing he can do in this world is to have many babies and leave many children after he dies, according to Kukunashvili. She also said the Japanese man was eager to buy a device to freeze and preserve his own sperm at his home so that he can secure good-quality sperm to continue having children even after he gets old. Noting that the top priority is the safety of the surrogate children, a Thai police executive urged the Japanese man to submit himself for questioning so that he can explain why he needed so many children and possibly prove his innocence. END