68-year-old woman arrested over murder of bedridden 46-year-old daughter

Sad story

To see your close family members bedridden with no hope

Not sure if there are no social services to help or if people just don't seek such help. Whichever it may be, these stories come with shocking frequency.

I'm used to hearing about spouses and children killing their bedridden parents or partners on almost a daily basis here.

But somehow, the killing of a daughter by her own mother is somehow more mortifying on a different level.

Where were the caregivers to assist the mother? Unless a social system is setup to support caregivers, incidents like this one will be occurring more frequently.

Terribly sad ending to another family. Overwhelmed yet, most likely, overlooked by a government lax in providing adequate extended, support systems for Japan’s rarely reported 15% living in poverty.

Not sure if there are no social services to help or if people just don't seek such help. Whichever it may be, these stories come with shocking frequency.

Both. Japan lacks services for these situations and doesn't actively promote the existence of the services they do have so people often don't know where and how to ask for help. That combined with thd fact that the local people have been socially conditioned to not ask for help because they don't want to be a bother results in tragedies like this.

Again and again and again! This time the scenario is reversed with a parent killing a bedridden child. It's common knowledge that the Japanese government does very little to support these people who become full time carers. This kind of event happens a couple of times a month and has done for decades, but nothing has changed to give support to these people. Just another example of the ignorant government in a self-proclaimed 'rich country'.

Lots of commenters calling for more gov support. What kind of "support"?

Lots of commenters calling for more gov support. What kind of "support"?

Caregiver assistance. Affordable caregiver assistance. Check ups with social services. Transparency about the availability of these services. Transparency and options for moving the bedridden patient to a dedicated care facility. Financial support - where are the taxpayers' money going if not to situations like this? Free training programs and lectures about how to care for ill and bedridden family members. Accessible and readily available mental health services to prep and deal with the inevitable burnout.

Overwhelmed yet, most likely, overlooked by a government lax in providing adequate extended, support systems for Japan’s rarely reported 15% living in poverty."

Yep, its a disgrace...hundreds of billion yen available for new weapons, overseas " aid ", corporate welfare & tax breaks for LDP cronies....but only budget cuts and "sorry we have no funds" for the most vulnerable in the society , especially the disabled and their families.

It's patently obvious that we need proper immigration: not piecemeal, disposable guest worker programmes.

Yes, Japan will change in character, but the alternative doesn't bear thinking.

The heartbreak of seeing the life go out of the eyes of someone you brought into the world. This story is so painful to read.

Like other posters have written, put more of our hard earned tax payers' money towards care for invalids, the elderly and mentally challenged and those who have to care for them.

Maybe it's time we take some of the law makers' average salary of 29.24 million yen (～$230,000) and put some of it toward these poor unfortunate people. Politicians, step up and DO something.

Lots of commenters calling for more gov support. What kind of "support"?

Good question. It's interesting that there are several commenters seem to be avoiding holding the murderer responsible in any way.

And instead of leaning on government to stop tragedies like this, how about asking where the family was. Or where the neighbors were. Or why the mother didn't reach out for help.

It's also interesting how, whenever the government fails, a lot of people respond to it by ... calling for more government.

How many cases of government ineptitude and failure do we need to show, before we're allowed to say that maybe "more government role" shouldn't be our knee-jerk proposed solution to every problem?

No more money nor people to provide assistance.

That is what happens when demography is failing.

Can you force people to work as a caregiver ?

There are millions now needing assistance.

Sadly, this is just a taste of what is coming because in a few years more than a million per year less inhabitants while over largely 30% aged over 65 years meaning not able to take care of anyone on the long term.

Shikata ga nai.

RIP

Humans are animals that can kill out of love.

@Jonathan Prin,

You are on the money once again.

I couldn't agree more with you.

Jalapeno - Lots of commenters calling for more gov support. What kind of "support"?

Affordable nursing care for starters. People in Japan pay crazy amounts of health insurance and pension, but receive very little for their investment. There are some private companies that do nursing care for the elderly and ailing but they are not subsidized by the government and are ridiculously expensive.

Too many people are destined to become full time carers for ailing relatives because the government will not provide nursing care for them. I’ve known many people who will openly state they are just waiting for their ailing relative to die so they can get their life back. this is a scenario that should not happen in a developed country that prides itself in being rich and caring for the elderly

It doesn't help that the Japanese govt. made it so damn hard to be a nurse from overseas to be able to live and work here. The really hard kanji reading and writing requirement had an over 90% failure rate by the Philippina and Indonesian applicants who were here and took the tests.

We constantly read and hear about the shortage of nursing personnel. This is why I wrote for the govt. to DO something. They pay little and they're constantly sabotaging possible fixes for these problems like the ex. I've written above.