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Police in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, have rearrested three people on suspicion of causing the death of a 37-year-old man who was found dead at their home last September.
The three suspects, Naoki Yokoyama, 70, his wife Junko, 65, and their daughter Nanako, 36, were initially arrested on Jan 31 on a charge of illegal confinement of their son Yuichiro, Kyodo News reported. Prosecutors ordered that all three undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if they were mentally fit to stand trial.
The tests were carried out from February until July 19 and the trio were deemed to be mentally competent. On Thursday, police added a charge of parental neglect resulting in death. Police said all three have denied the charge.
Police allege the three handcuffed and confined Yuichiro against his will, leading to his death from emaciation, between May 4 and Sept 6, 2021. Police said Yuichiro's feet were bound with a rope from time to time, as well.
According to investigations, Yuichiro dropped out of college and began living as a shut-in (hikikomori) at his parents’ house for an extended period. At times, his family said he would physically assault them and he eventually stopped wearing clothes and walked about completely naked. Last May, he walked outside in the nude, prompting his family to to confine him.
On Sept 6, Naoki contacted police to report that his son had died at home. When officers arrived at the scene, Yuichiro was found naked and dead on the doorstep while still in restraints.
© Japan Today
9 Comments
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Rodney
Failure of society to help those in need.
Aly Rustom
once he started walking outside naked, they should have had him committed.
Concerned Citizen
This is a very sad story. May God have mercy on this family and care well for the dead son.
shogun36
the kid was 37!
That’s not the result of parental neglect, that’s a bum.
once he dropped out of college, they should’ve kicked him out of the house.
im not saying they are innocent, but there’s definitely a lot to the story that isn’t being told.
WA4TKG
Well, at least they didn’t throw him off the roof, but maybe that would have been more humane
Random
No involuntary commitment in Japan?
jeancolmar
Face appears to have been everything to this family. The son obviously had mental problems and needed attention. But they feared losing face. So the young man was bound hand and foot. No surprise that his mental illness got worse. So they neglected feeding him. No surprise that the poor fellow died. Not just died but died under torture--bound and starving. But until the police came by, they had succeeded in saving face.
Ken Holcomb
So they had no other recourse than to physically restrain and apparently starve him to death? Absolutely no social resources available in their area? No way to contact the local social services office to seek advice and/or assistance? The son was likely mentally ill and apparently dangerous to himself as well as others. Is the perceived familia embarrassment over having a mentally ill member of the family so overpowering that the only possible solution is to tie that person up, keep them indoors and stop caring for them in even the most limited way? Japan needs to look deeply at it's "traditions" and start looking at individual human rights starting at home. There's lots for the Japanese culture to proud of in the way of family. There's also plenty of room for improvement.
Midnight Sun Tribe
His woes are at an end.