crime

67-year-old woman arrested for killing ailing 43-year-old daughter

15 Comments

Police in Fukaya, Saitanma Prefecture, said Sunday they have arrested a 67-year-old woman on suspicion of killing her 43-year-old daughter.

According to police, the suspect, Ikuko Yanagi showed up at a police station at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday with her 41-year-old son, who lives elsewhere, and said that she had strangled to death her daughter Yumi with a scarf six hours earlier, Fuji TV reported.

Police went to the house and found the body of Yumi in her first-floor bedroom. 

Yanagi was quoted by police as saying she was distressed over her daughter's illness, which police did not disclose. She lived with her 66-year-old husband and daughter. Yanagi woke her husband at around 6 a.m. and told him what she had done, and he called their son to come over and take his mother to the police station while he remained with Yumi's body.

Police said Yanagi had also slit her wrists in an apparent suicide attempt.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

15 Comments
Login to comment

Stressed .... You will get 12 months suspended for 5 years.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

At least there seems to be a little bit of reasoning behind this murder. Depending on the disease, she could well have thought herself to be putting her daughter out of her misery, and she knows clearly that what she did was wrong and has turned herself in. She needs to pay for what she's done, but I'm curious exactly what the 'illness' was. If it was just depression or something, then no excuses and the woman has to go to prison for a long time. If it was terminal cancer or something and the daughter was on her way out and suffering tremendously, that needs to be taken into consideration.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

At least there seems to be a little bit of reasoning behind this murder.

That makes is OK then, let's all relax knowing she had a reason for murdering her own daughter.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Yanagi had also slit her wrists in an apparent suicide attempt

Designed to fool who exactly??

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Designed to fool who exactly??

She was just getting a head start on the "showing strong remorse" so the judge will give her a suspended sentence. Cry, say you're sorry, show the judge the scratches on your wrists, get a suspended sentence from a judge who "understands".

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Given that Yanagi had slit her wrists in an apparent unsuccessful suicide attempt and eventually turned herself in to police, it suggests some deeper reason why she had to kill her ailing 43-year-old daughter. That said, she'll have to pay for her sins in any way. RIP.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Ah, that's sad. Why can't people get help when they need it?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"Why can't people get help when they need it?"

They can, but they don't. Because the pity people will throw a big party like they always do...

But the fact is, she is a COLD-BLOODED MURDERER... just like all the rest!!!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I am not going to say what is, "right or wrong, moral or immoral." I am just going to say what is, or at least, what was for me. My late daughter passed away from ovarian cancer this last December, It was not pretty to watch. (holds back tears to try and type). With a little speculation, I can imagine this mother was dealing with some similar emotions. I know, I too, thought the thoughts. I even considered moving to Oregon, where they have the right to die. Before that, I was thinking about going to Belgium (don't know if they would of let us do it there since we weren't residents).

But, you know what? There are lessons in everything. No matter how bad it is. It is up to me to learn the lesson from the experience, no matter how horrible it is. And then again, it is my choice to learn the lesson that best serves me and the people around me. One of many lessons from my daughter's demise was that there an immense amount of help out there. When I ask for it. I... We, were assisted by a huge variety of people on this journey. Never in my life have I so felt indebted to other humans. There are angels that walk the earth, and they work in the medical field.

So, yes, I can understand this woman's actions. Would I of been a COLD-BLODDED MUREDER? No, I would of cried my eyes out.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

San_Diegan: "With a little speculation, I can imagine this mother was dealing with some similar emotions."

Very sorry to hear about your daughter. Very terrible stuff. I notice, though, that you say that despite THINKING about doing the unthinkable, you did not.

In any case, I think it is wrong to assume that the woman's daughter suffered anything similar to what your daughter did, or any terminal disease whatsoever; they won't disclose what the illness was. In fact, the previous suicide attempt indicates mental illness more than anything, but again we cannot speculate. If it comes out later that it was indeed a terminal illness and the woman killed her daughter because she could not deal with the suffering, that's a little different, but until then...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In any case, I think it is wrong to assume that the woman's daughter suffered anything similar to what your daughter did

Yeah, because then you couldn't condemn outright by only having read a few paragraphs on the internet. So you need to assume that the woman was evil.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Having worked in the disability field for thirty years, I know that families coping with long term care for ill or disabled relatives can find it very stressful, and long term stress can have very serious mental and physical consequences. If this woman was primarily responsible for their daughter's care on a day to day basis, whether she could adequately cope might well depend on how much help she was getting from immediate relatives and from the state. She could have been simply emotionally and physically worn out. Of course a crime has been committed, no question of that, but when the full circumstances are known, the judge may feel inclined towards some clemency. Clearly she was remorseful as she tried to commit suicide. The husband and son are to be commended for reporting the matter to the police, but what is their history of assisting with the daughter's care? Could they have been more helpful and taken some of the strain off the mother? The truth will be interesting if ever revealed.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

My guess would be that, this woman had become a full time carer for her daughter. Another victim of the Japanese health insurance, welfare and support system. The Japanese health insurance system is a great system, unless you get sick, of course. Then, you are screwed!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

it suggests some deeper reason why she had to kill her ailing 43-year-old daughter

She had to kill her? It was mandatory?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Disillusioned but Japan has the amount the best ratings for health care in the world, according to the fascist socialist UN and other far leftist groups, who cares that the theoretical government support doesn't actually reach people, or that emergency rooms aren't even open nights and weekends?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites