16-year-old youth arrested for abandoning 2-day-old daughter

Honestly, I have to commend this kid. He left the baby in a place sure to be found and called the police to alert them. Many cases I read they leave the baby in a place it won't be found and will ultimately die.

its a sad state of affairs in a society when abandoning a newborn in a park is "commendable". No offense ronaldk- i understand what you mean...After all the abandoned infants found in various horrendous places (toilets, train lockers)-Its almost desensitizing to the point where we say "oh thank god! he only left her on a park bench".

Very well put...Kaptankichigai!

I had to read this headline several times. WTF! 16 year old high school student with a daughter?!?!?!

The idea of adoption is so overdue in Japan.

Mom must have been busy in class.

It is sad that these young adults do not know of a better way than this. Now all 3 will carry this "scar" on their lives.

The idea of adoption is so overdue in Japan.

Seriously. I will never understand why Japan can't allow people to adopt, and why the Japanese people look down on adoptions. Hell, if you won't let your own people adopt them, let others from other countries adopt your unwanted kids. They get a loving home, you don't have to care for them. Why is this so hard to accept?

A 2-day-old infant never has to carry "this scar". She never has to know about this incident, even if discovering she has been subsequently adopted.

whoa, this story is too messed for words, 16 year old boy left a 2 day old daughter? most japanese kids that age are still into pokemon and manga, this kid's life is ruined if he goes to jail or not, just hope he gets a vasectomy before he produces another kid he would throw away

Life is ruined?? Huh?? Let's just be thankful that the baby was given a chance to live.

It's about time that real sex education, prevention of STD's and the responsibilities of parenting are taught at high schools.

How can a 16 year old girl give birth and her parents not know? Surely there must be some follow-up to this article. I would say at least the parents (of the girl) should have reported a missing infant, provided that they knew their daughter was pregnant.

So many of the women here are tiny little things, and when they are pregnant, no way can you hide it. Maybe he lied to his girl friend and said he was taking the kid out for a stroll, put her on the bench, and then got distracted with his game boy.

How can a 16 year old girl give birth and her parents not know? Surely there must be some follow-up to this article. I would say at least the parents (of the girl) should have reported a missing infant, provided that they knew their daughter was pregnant

It was the father who was 16. The age of the mother is not known. They're ASSUMING it's a student at the same school.

molenir: Japan does allow adoption, by Japanese couples and non-Japanese couples. I know people who've done it and are now living happily with their children. As with all countries, there are restrictions and you may not like all of them but it is wrong to suggest that Japan doesn't allow adoption. If you are interested in adopting, go to your ward office and ask for a list of orphanages and adoption centers. There is no need to explain yourself to them if they start telling you that you can't adopt. They are not the ones who decide. All you need is the information to get things rolling. Good luck if that's what your after. By all means though, please don't spread misinformation as it may cause people, who would have otherwise considered it, to give up on the idea of adopting from Japan.

Good luck to this baby as well as his mother and father. 16 is awfully young to be a parent and the boy did the right thing by putting the baby where someone was bound to find him and then calling the police. People should be able to move on from mistakes and I hope all parties involved in this can do just that.

Damn, had the baby at 14!

At least he left the baby on a bench rather than disposing of it in an ash bin.

The age of mother supposed to be 16. Why could she deliver a baby without being known to others? If they abandon the baby,why hadn't they abortion? They should rely on their parents. It's a pity but they,I mean, baby's mother and father cannot be happy in their lifetime.

I'd have had more sympathy for the father if he'd called the police immediately after leaving the child and not waiting half a day. More baby hatches like the one we have here in Kumamoto are needed.

Seriously. I will never understand why Japan can't allow people to adopt, and why the Japanese people look down on adoptions.

Molenir -- with you 100%. Unfortunately the pre-historic family-registry system here creates many social issues for Japan -- adoption, abortion rates, divorce/child custody, in vitro fertilization/surrogate parents, immigration/citizenship, etc. -- which keep it from being a truly modern society. But no one here seems to care if only 1,500 kids each year are adopted or thousands more are aborted. Easier just to ignore the problems.

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The idea of adoption is so overdue in Japan.

So is the idea of contraception.

Stories of abandoned babies happen everywhere at least a few times a year. Is this one story a big comment on Japan? No. Not even the teen aspect of it is.

So, is it abandonment if you leave the baby in a place to be found? It should have another name.

You're all assuming that the mother is 16 based on the police's reported assumption that the mother goes to the same high school as the father. That's a lot of assumptions. She could be 15, 17, 14, 18, whatever and still have gone to the same high school as him. She could also be 33 and not go to high school as him.

Like ronaldk said, at least the baby is alive and well. California (and others?) has a law allowing people to leave their baby at fire stations, hospitals, etc with "no questions asked" so at least the child will have a chance.

GOD bless the baby and still alive ...

@gogogo,

Damn, had the baby at 14!

?? This is a 2-DAY-old baby, not a 2-year-old baby. And as bdiego and I have pointed out, we don't know HOW old the mother of the child is. She could be a student in ANY of the grades at the school, she could be a teacher at the school, she could be someone totally unrelated to the school.

So, is it abandonment if you leave the baby in a place to be found? It should have another name.

From Mirriam-Webster:

Definition of ABANDON (transitive verb)

1a: to give up to the control or influence of another person or agent

1b: to give up with the intent of never again claiming a right or interest in (abandon property)

2: to withdraw from often in the face of danger or encroachment (abandon ship)

3: to withdraw protection, support, or help from (he abandoned his family)

Fathering a child means you MUST accept the responsibility for its welfare and safety. Leaving the child on a park bench is the definitive example of "withdrawing protection, support, or help". "Abandonment" is the IDEAL name for what he did.

She could have given up for adoption! Someone that does this is sick! I cant understand why mothers who dont want their baby's give it to someone not dispose of it like trash? I don`t think anyone would think any less of them for giving it to someone. This mother needs to knocked in the head for doing this! I hope they find her and throw the book at her!