TOKYO , Japan ( CNN ) -- An American father jailed in Tokyo has been harshly treated , his attorney said Monday , while Japanese authorities said he is getting `` special '' treatment . Christopher Savoie is in jail in Japan after trying to get back his son , Isaac , and daughter , Rebecca . Attorney Jeremy Morley , in a statement released Monday , said Christopher Savoie -- accused of trying to kidnap his children after his ex-wife took them to Japan -- is being held without trial , interrogated without an attorney present and denied needed medical treatment for high blood pressure . Savoie has also been exposed to sleep deprivation , and denied private meetings with attorneys and phone calls to his wife , according to Morley , who said the way his client has been treated amounts to `` torture . '' He acknowledged that some of the claims are based on second-hand information from Savoie 's wife , Amy , saying she has communicated with people familiar with her husband 's case . Police in Yanagawa , a rural town in southern Japan where Savoie is being held , denied the allegations in Morley 's statement , saying Savoie gets regular visits by a physician and medicine as prescribed . A Yanagawa police officer , who declined to give his name citing departmental policy , told CNN that Savoie , like any other detainee , has a `` dim '' light in his cell for safety , and is assured to get 8 hours of sleep a day . Savoie is being questioned -- with an interpreter -- within the boundaries of Japanese law , which allows for suspects to be interviewed without the presence of an attorney , the officer said . The law also permits several rounds of questioning for hours on end , the officer said . The officer said Savoie is allowed `` frequent '' visits with his defense attorney in Japan and is generally given `` special '' treatment due to the nature of his case , the officer said . `` If you call this 'torture , ' what can we say ? '' the officer said . Savoie , 38 , a Tennessee native and naturalized Japanese citizen , allegedly abducted his two children -- 8-year-old Isaac and 6-year-old Rebecca -- as his ex-wife walked them to school on September 28 in Yanagawa . With the children , Savoie headed for the nearest U.S. consulate , in the city of Fukuoka , to try to obtain passports for them . Screaming at guards to let him in the compound , Savoie was steps away from the front gate but still standing on Japanese soil when he was arrested . Savoie and his first wife , Noriko Savoie , were married for 14 years before their bitter divorce in January . The couple , both citizens of the United States and Japan , lived in Japan , but had moved to the United States before the divorce . Noriko Savoie was given custody of the children and agreed to remain in the United States . Christopher Savoie had visitation rights . During the summer , she fled with the children to Japan , according to court documents . A U.S. court then granted Christopher Savoie sole custody . Japanese law , however , recognizes Noriko Savoie as the primary custodian , regardless of the U.S. court order . The law there also follows a tradition of sole-custody divorces . When a couple splits , one parent typically makes a complete and life-long break from the children . Complicating the matter further is the fact that the couple is still considered married in Japan because they never divorced there , police said . And , Japanese authorities say , the children are Japanese and have Japanese passports .
Official in Japan denies `` torture , '' says dad is receiving `` special '' treatment . Japanese official : Dad gets regular attorney visits , interpreter for interviews . Christopher Savoie accused of trying to kidnap his kids after ex-wife fled to Japan . Savoie held without trial ; denied medical treatment , says attorney .