(CNN) -- On February 12, 2009, Christopher Savoie received an e-mail from his ex-wife that he had feared would come.



Christopher Savoie is in jail in Japan after trying to get back his son, Isaac, and daughter, Rebecca.



About a month after their bitter divorce, in which Noriko Savoie promised as part of the agreement she wouldn't return to Japan with their children to live, she threatened to do just that.



"It's very difficult to watch kids becoming American and losing Japanese identity,'' Noriko Savoie wrote her ex-husband in the e-mail, according to Tennessee court documents. "I am at the edge of the cliff. I cannot hold it anymore if you keep bothering me.''



Now she is in Japan with the children. Christopher Savoie sits in a Japanese jail accused of trying to kidnap them.



He practically predicted it would end this way.



The couple, citizens of the United States and Japan, were married for 14 years and lived in Japan. But they came to the United States with 8-year-old Isaac and 6-year-old Rebecca. They divorced in January 2009 after Christopher Savoie was unfaithful. Noriko Savoie was given custody of the children and agreed to remain in the United States.



During the divorce, Christopher Savoie was concerned that his ex-wife would move to Japan with the children. After receiving the threatening e-mail, he went to court to try to prevent that.



He pleaded with a judge in March to stop Noriko Savoie from being able to travel to Japan for summer vacation.



He knew if she took the children to Japan to live the deck would be stacked against him. Japanese law would recognize Noriko Savoie as the primary custodian and he might never see his children again.



Noriko Savoie told a judge the words in her e-mail were in the heat of the moment; she was angry that her ex-husband had just married the woman who caused their marriage to end.



"I was very, very -- at the peak of my frustration ..." Noriko Savoie told a judge, according to court transcripts. "He actually married three days before that e-mail. He remarried the person -- a woman whom he was having affair [with], so I was very depressed and -- but also angry."



Noriko Savoie was asked repeatedly in court if she would try to take the children and flee to Japan. Her answer was always no.



"I have never thought about taking children away from their father, never," she told the judge.



Christopher Savoie didn't believe her.



Their divorce had been rocky, both of them said. The court documents reveal bitter fights and mediations during the divorce. The two accused each other of sending harassing e-mails. They also fought over sending the kids to baseball, Scouts and other activities. Noriko Savoie accused him of not giving her enough money to take English language lessons or go to school so she could get a job. He accused her of not trying hard enough to enroll or find a place to live.  Dad paid ex-wife $800K in divorce »



Despite those issues, Christopher Savoie said his only concern was making sure he wouldn't be separated from his children.



He knew trying to get the kids back would be "a futile effort" if Noriko Savoie did flee with the children, according to court documents.



He laid out in court a scenario similar to what he is facing.



"If she were to go to Japan with the children and with primary custodial rights, there's pretty much no doubt that I would have a very difficult time enforcing my rights to visitation should Noriko decide not to let the children see me," he said.



He said he'd have a hard time paying expensive legal fees because most of his money was tied up in his house, car and 401(k) after he gave Noriko Savoie more than $700,000 as part of the divorce settlement. With that money, he feared she'd be
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question: Did Noriko Savoie say in court she was going to take the kids away from their dad?, answer: always no. | question: What is Christopher Savoie charged with?, answer: trying to kidnap them. | question: Who is Noriko Savoie?, answer: primary custodian | question: Who is now in jail after attempting to retrieve the kids back from their mom?, answer: Christopher Savoie | question: What did Noriko Savoie threatened to do?, answer: she wouldn't return | question: Who did Noriko Savoie threaten?, answer: Christopher Savoie | question: After a divorce who threatened to take her kids back to Japan?, answer: Noriko Savoie | question: Where is Christopher Savoie now?, answer: jail in Japan | question: The dad asked what of the judge?, answer: to stop Noriko Savoie from being able to travel to Japan for summer vacation. | question: who are now in jail in japan?, answer: Christopher Savoie | question: For what reason is Christopher Savoie now in a Japan jail?, answer: Christopher Savoie is in jail in Japan after trying to get back his son, Isaac, and daughter, Rebecca.