It was determined that Shigeta had fathered the children using Thai surrogate mothers. Bangkok's Central Juvenile and Family Court gave Shigeta sole legal custody of the children, ruling that he is financially stable and had showed his plans to care for them. The ruling said Shigeta had a right to custody because the children were born before the new law was enacted, and because the surrogate mothers signed documents waiving their custody rights. The court also said Shigeta had opened bank accounts in Singapore for all 13 children whose custody he was awarded Tuesday. Several Japanese magazines and online publications nonetheless identified him as a son of Japanese tycoon Yasumitsu Shigeta, founder and chief executive officer of the Japanese communications and technology company Hikari Tsushin.

Source: ABC News February 20, 2018 08:40 UTC