It’s not unusual for parents to clash with their children over how much time or money they spend on their hobbies. Those arguments can be particularly heated if they’re about pastimes that the older generation is ready to write off as frivolous nonsense, such as watching anime or playing video games.
Often these issues resolve themselves either when the parent comes to accept that their child’s life is their own to live, or, alternatively, when the child becomes old enough to move out. A family dispute over games and anime came to a much more violent end in Shiga Prefecture.
Since 50-year-old Toshio Ito’s mother passed away in 2016, it had just been him and his 76-year-old father, Ko, living in their home in the town of Otsu. Though Toshio had been acting as his father’s caretaker, the two had a strained relationship. The older Ito instituted a curfew for his son, and also repeatedly criticized him for his love of anime and video games.
Toshio became increasingly dissatisfied with the living arrangement, until the early hours of the morning on February 4. Entering his sleeping father’s bedroom shortly after 3 a.m., Toshio pressed a wet towel and pillow over Kou’s face and attempted to smother him. When he resisted, Toshio changed tactics and grabbed a length of electrical cord that was within arm’s reach and used it to strangle his father.
Toshio’s trial has begun, though since he has already admitted to killing his father, the proceedings are more to determine the extent of his legal culpability and the appropriate punishment. The defense has asked that the extenuating circumstances of the relationship be taken into account, claiming that Ko’s overbearing treatment of his son left Toshio desperate to end their cohabitation, but considering Japan’s customary hard-line stance against violent crime, the request is likely to earn him little, if any, clemency.
Source: Kyoto Shimbun via Otakomu
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2018/06/22/50-year-old-otaku-murders-father-who-criticized-his-anime-and-game-hobbies/
12 Comments
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jcapan
I reckon most of these parent-child murders would cease immediately if kids starting getting their own place at 18. I know it's not affordable and no doubt many of these "kids" aren't the most stable tools in the box--who keeps dad's corpse in the attic for 6 months--but these multi-generational households have always struck me as claustrophobic. Boundaries and space are necessary to healthy families.
sensei258
Sorry Papa but you should have kicked his ass out a long time ago
Vince Black
A good for nothing loser whose life revolves around cartoons and video games. Ain't no cartoons and games where he's going !
juminRhee
So, did the son have a job? If so, why didn't he just leave or ask his dad (or evict) to leave (depending on who owns the home)?
juminRhee
Jcapan:
I'd imagine its much cheaper further away from the core cities. There are jobs there and he can get his fix of manga & anime online now (amazon and other websites). Jeck, weekends he could go check in on his pops.
Anonymous
His room was probably a mess, too.
Disillusioned
A 50 year old man-child living at home with his parents and addicted to video games and manga. The acronym N.E.E.T. springs to mind. It's beyond me why people call video games and manga a hobby. They're not a hobby! They're just a complete waste of time and a kind of escapism. I watch adults in their 30's to 60's on the train playing utterly pointless games like joining balls to make them fall and other mind-numbingly pointless games. This bodes well with the article about the 'Hello Kitty' shinkansen. It's a nation of 13 year olds! This 50 year old man-child threw a tantrum and killed his father.
Sam Whitte
Seems it was the father's way to telling his son to finally leave the nest.
Shikisai
When I see people on the train being very active on their phone it always turns out they are playing games. Those bolding 40+ men fiercely tapping the screens of their phones saving a princess.. His real-life princess will never get to meet him,and maybe good for her.
AKBs, Nogizakas and other bands with 48 talentless tarento exist for these men.
mmwkdw
Online Gaming is stressful enough receiving regular complaints from other players when your team looses, and that's without having the people you live with complaining about your Gaming too... people just don't realize how addictive and stressful these online games are, its easy to become obsessed with them, and external stresses become unwelcome. So much so, that you really want to put an end to those who cause you problems, be it other players or people criticizing you at home. So be warned... online Gamers can be like a keg of gunpowder just waiting to explode.
starpunk
A 76 year old man imposing a curfew on a 50 year old son? I wouldn't tolerate that for a microsecond! As for the gaming and anime that's a personal business, their own thing.
At Shonen Knife shows and some Halloween parties in America I've seen adults dressed up in anime/cosplay fashion. It's a culture thing. Let it be that. Still, no excusing dusting the daddy off.
Cochise
A lot of 'adults' who in japan are that in name only. Especially scary when they themseles become 'parents'.