Police in Yahabacho, Iwate Prefecture, said Friday they have arrested a 19-year-old unemployed woman on suspicion of murder after she threw her newborn boy whom she had just delivered in the toilet of her house, out a window earlier this year.
According to police, the suspect, who cannot be named because she is a minor, gave birth to the child in the toilet on the first floor of her house at around 7:30 a.m. on May 1, Sankei Shimbun reported. Police said that at the time of the incident, a family member who was in the house called an ambulance saying that “the woman won’t stop bleeding.”
The mother was sent to the hospital, but no one noticed that she had delivered a baby. On the same day, a family member found the baby's body outside the house and took him to the hospital, where staff contacted police.
Police said the infant weighed about 3,000 grams, and the placenta and umbilical cord were still attached to the body. There were bruises on the baby’s head, which are thought to have caused his death.
© Japan Today
37 Comments
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Wamukamo
This doesn't make sense to me!!First, how on earth didn't the so called family member notice she was pregnant??At 3000g, her belly was bigger than normal I guess.Second, she was taken to the hospital because she couldn't stop bleeding which of course the bleeding was from her”V”.As a doctor, why couldn't they even check whether the bleeding was due to an abortion or just some heavy periods.Everyone who was involved here is a crook!
WilliB
The article does not say, but it sounds like she is mentally retarded.
Chip Star
Repugnant, as usual.
You think the umbilical cord still being attached means this newborn was still a fetus so those of us that support a woman's right to control her body will argue this wasn't murder. Yikes.
Omachi
If she wasn’t seriously overweight, I'm sure that the family knew she was pregnant - but the belly doesn't immediately shrink upon giving birth, so the family member may not have known of the birth. That the hospital didn't initially detect that she had just given birth - upon exam, is frightening.
M. Guna
Cold-hearted. Pleasure over responsibility.
Tokyo-Engr
@Burning Bush: I am not quite sure how you could get 7 down votes for your post. It must be directed at you and not what you write. I agree with your post. Not sure how someone could disagree.
smithinjapan
And another one. This is precisely another reason why baby hatches need to be put out en masse in this nation, and people taught about them and it instilled in them that it is a way to save a life, and not snuff one out.
garypen
What's a "baby hatch"? Is it some kind of depository for unwanted newborn babies?
If so, couldn't Kobans be used for such purposes? Or, if the police presence is too intimidating, then churches/temples/shrines?
starpunk
This is repugnant to the max.
Disillusioned
A healthy 3,000g baby thrown out the window like a piece of trash. How bloody wonderful!
Kobe White Bar Owner
new borns have not built a skull yet so even a sligh bump can cause alot of damage rest in peace little man, rot in hell "mum".
doel jusino
So the way I intrepid this article "but no one noticed that she had delivered a baby" family members knew she was pregnant, yet nobody noticed she gave birth. As quoted “the woman won’t stop bleeding” so she was bleeding heavy between her legs and nobody had a clue that she delivered the baby. Does the term Brain Dead family come to mind ?? So she's a minor and will probably get a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again... Japan seems to be a Great place to commit Murder....
WilliB
From the description of the behaviour of the participants, that would not have helped in this case.
juminRhee
Was the child stillborn? That could make a difference in sentencing...and may even extend to her "choice" in such a case, depending on legal interpretations.
Norman Goodman
None of those people are right in the head. Guaranteed.
carp_boya
I don’t understand why this comment has 11 downvotes and only 6 upvotes. What is not to like?
Life is precious.
Murder is murder.
carp_boya
Why would she throw a stillborn child off of a balcony? You’d think her intent was to kill the child, so why throw him if he’s already dead?
carp_boya
My second child, a boy, was born four days ago. I can’t imagine someone doing this to any child, especially a newborn. She’s scum and deserves severe punishment despite her age.
rainyday
Its the misleading straw man argument he slides in at the end, trying to make this into an abortion debate when it clearly isn’t appropriate to do so in this case. Nobody, regardless of their view on abortion, would argue this is anything but murder, yet he is implying the opposite.
Norman Goodman
To further hide the pregnancy. Seems to be her motive whether the baby was alive or not.
starpunk
That's still no excuse. And even if the baby was stillborn, you don't treat it like a piece of common garbage. Despicable.
Michael Machida
Many women are not fit to be mothers. Also, it has been proven time and time again that some women have depression after giving birth. This is no excuse. Just sharing the science behind the madness.
silhouette
If you have any sensical knowledge about women's bodies, how much a woman shows (especially with first pregmancies) depends on the build of the woman, how well she uses excess clothing to cover up, and how much she avoids being seen. Birth can be extremely tramatic for women, regardless of their aptitude, mental health, or preparedness. This particular woman could have suffered a sexual assault leading to pregnancy, compounding the trauma. Not to mention this is a country with a very poor record on dealing with mental health issues. Or she could simply be a hateful person. This is without question a horrible unreprehensible act, but learn the full story before making judgements based on stereotypes and inadequate information.
WilliB
rainyday:
Well, I dunno. It is sort of post-birth abortion, which some of the SJW radicals now approve of. Does it really matter if the person doing it is carrying a lab coat or not? So while this is not directly an abortion debate, the remark is relevant.
rainyday
No, its not a “post birth abortion”, a term you just made up, it is murder. And no, it IS a BS, irrelevant argument. No side in that debate says its OK to kill a newborn baby.
DaDude
The 1980s called, they would like their word usage back.
Strangerland
That’s an entirely illogical conclusion from the quote you posted.
WilliB
Dadude:
Yeah, well, sorry, it is hard to keep up with the latest language contortions that the PC crowd inflicts upon humankind. Did we all tell each other our chosen pronouns yet?
WilliB
rainyday:
Google it.
Thomas Robert Mountcastle
Why is a 19 year old considered a "minor"?
DaDude
"Retarted" has been an offensive word before the PC crowd and is along the lines of a racist word. Whatever though, you do you.
WilliB
Dadude:
Where in the world does "retarded" have anything to do with race? This endless "race" kneejerking is really getting old.
Anyway, my only point was that she is not quite right in her head. Use the term that you find currently politically correct. Sheesh.
Norman Goodman
@DaDude so what word are we allowed to use that means the same thing but offends no one? And what is the expiration date on that word if you know? The word "retard" in French simply means "slow". Its a loan word in English and it still means "slow" non-offensively in other contexts, such as "The flow of water was retarded by the debris.".
That whole family is slow. As in mentally impaired or mentally handicapped. As in intellectually diminished. As in of low intellectual capacity. As in developmentally disabled. Until those terms also become verboten. Is "special" still allowed?
WilliB
You never know. PC speech control is a work in progress.