Bobby Fischer seeks refugee status in Japan

TOKYO – Chess legend Bobby Fischer, who has spent three weeks in an airport detention cell, is seeking refugee status in Japan in hopes of thwarting his deportation to the United States, his supporters said today.

Fischer, who was detained at Narita airport just outside of Tokyo on July 13 on charges of traveling with a revoked U.S. passport, filed for refugee status on Monday, according to a statement issued today by the Committee to Free Bobby Fischer.

The statement said Fischer’s lawyer, Masako Suzuki, has also filed a new appeal to Japan’s justice minister to overturn the decision to deport the former world champion. An earlier appeal to immigration authorities was rejected.

The American chess player is wanted by U.S. authorities for playing a 1992 match in the former Yugoslavia in vio-lation of international sanctions. He was detained by Japanese officials after trying to board a flight to the Philippines.

In her appeal, Suzuki argued that “the political nature of the U.S. persecution of Fischer makes him eligible for refugee status in Japan,” the statement said.

“Appeals to the justice minister usually take no less than several weeks and often run into months,” the statement added. “Refugee claims can take years. There is now no likelihood of any quick deportation if Japanese and international law is respected.”

Montenegro, where Bobby Fischer played the match, has announced it will offer him asylum if he asks.

In the United States, Fischer faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for violating the U.S.-backed sanctions against Yugoslavia.

Fischer rose to chess stardom during the Cold War when he defeated the former Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky in a series of games in 1972 in Reykjavik, Iceland, to claim the world championship.

Known for erratic behavior at matches, he became a recluse for years until he resurfaced for the 1992 rematch against Spassky in Yugoslavia, which he won, collecting more than $3 million in prize money.