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The Sapporo District Court has sentenced a 22-year-old woman to nine years in prison for parental neglect resulting in the starvation death of her two-year-old daughter at their home in Sapporo last year.
The court said in its ruling on Friday that Rina Ikeda said her daughter Kotori’s condition suddenly deteriorated on the morning of June 6, 2019, after she appeared to be OK, Sankei Shimbun reported. Ikeda called an ambulance at around 5 a.m., saying her daughter was ill. Kotori showed no vital signs while she was being taken to a hospital where she died later that day.
Presiding Judge Toshikazu Ishida said Ikeda had been an irresponsible mother as she went out for hours and left her daughter alone without feeding her.
Ikeda was arrested along with her then 24-year-old boyfriend Kazuya Fujiwara on suspicion of repeatedly abusing Kotori at Ikeda's apartment and other locations. After her arrest, Ikeda pleaded not guilty.
The court heard that Kotori had not been fed properly and could have been regularly abused as multiple bruises and cigarette burns were found on her body. She weighed less than 10 kilograms, about half the average weight of a girl of her age.
In September 2018, a child consultation center received a call from Kotori’s daycare center, expressing concern that she was being neglected. But it concluded there was no neglect after a worker met with Kotori and her mother at their home. The girl appeared to have been very attached to her mother at that time, according to investigative and local officials.
But the center received another tip in April 2019 that Kotori was constantly crying but it was unable to meet or contact Ikeda.
A police officer then met with Kotori and her mother on May 15 and noticed an injury on her face and a bandage on her foot, but the injury did not appear serious enough to suspect abuse, police reported at the time. Ikeda had said the injury was the result of Kotori's tripping over, they said.
Prosecutors claimed Kotori was subjected to serious physical abuse after the meeting with the police officer as fresh bruises were found at the time of her death.
Kotori’s former boyfriend Fujiwara was tried separately and convicted last month. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Before the verdict was handed down, prosecutors had sought a 14-year prison sentence for Ikeda.
© Japan Today/Kyodo
21 Comments
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Hokkaidoboy
If I actually wrote what I think of that abuser, my comment would be moderated, and I understand it. But moderator, and to every reader, know that I'm full of ugly words towards the person who did that to a 2-year-old toddler girl. The cruelty shown towards defenceless people like this little girl and the Funato case as well disgust me, how you can be so cold-blooded astonishes me.
Yubaru
9 years, for in effect, murdering her own child...........this is justice?
Gaijinjland
Great. She’ll be out when she’s 31 and will still have many years left to procreate and I’m sure the 9 years in in solitude will do wonders for her mental health.
tooheysnew
I hope they’re not planning to feed her during her stay
dbsaiya
Bread and water for nine years please.
Mocheake
She got off light.
foreignbrotherhoodarmy
Nine years for starving a 2 year old to death. Well done japan, way to deter others.
Jonathan Prin
Lenient for a woman who pleaded non guilty.
So sad.
Wellington
I love Japan, but her criminal justice system is hard to understand at times.
The courts seem to forget the victims, especially if they were children, when it comes to sentencing the guilty parties.
Mia Kurihara, and Yua Funato (as mentioned above) are two more that we should never forget.
I get that admission of guilt and showing remorse go a long way in a Japan court but only 9 years for starving a defenseless child to death, does not seem right to me.
Goodlucktoyou
Why he gets 13 yrs and she gets 9yrs?
it seems in Japan if you torture and murder your baby and you are a woman you get a 25% less sentence, but if you are a hard working female worker, you get 25% less pay compared to a man?
Gaijinjland
I’m not even defending this women. She’s a monster. But I mean if they are only giving her nine years, I seriously hope they will provide her with psychiatric help because otherwise shes going to come out worse than she came in and will end up doing the same thing again.
Mr Kipling
There are times when alternative punishments suit the crime.... 9 years in jail but the first month she gets one small rice ball a day. It would help her realise her daughters plight.
Fighto!
Disgustingly light sentence. There is no other case that is more deserving of hanging than this child-killing woman, and her deadbeat boyfriend. I truly wish them a lifetime of misery, pain and rejection. Complete sterilization of the woman, and castration of the male, please.
Rest in Peace to little Angel, Kotori-chan.
Monozuki
Um... Sounds like the woman has been much addicted to her boyfriend, and no sense of responsibility as a mother. It's a shame. May the toddler girl rest in peace.
Pukey2
Unbelievable. Absolute incompetence. Does the so-called mother have to smack her child in front of other people before they realize that something's not right?
By the way, does the 'mother' get food during her 9-year stint?
Seesaw7
She should be put away for life. In 9 years she's 31 and may have children again. She doesn't deserved to be a Mother ever again.
Hercolobus
Wow. OMG. No words. The humanity.
WilliB
"Could" have been abused? I mean I understand reasonable doubt, but to quote a certain wannabe president, Come on, man!
The sheer stupidity of the this comment bugs me. She was a 2 year old toddler, for crying out loud. The mother was her only reference point in life. What the heck did this consultation center genius expect from a 2 year old?
kaimycahl
*In September 2018, a child consultation center received a call from Kotori’s daycare center, expressing concern that she was being neglected. But it concluded there was no neglect after a worker met with Kotori and her mother at their home. The girl appeared to have been very attached to her mother at that time, according to investigative and local officials. *In the states one call from anyone would trigger a response and the parent has to prove their is no abuse. If the kid has any bruises they are taken away. That’s crazy thinking of course the kid would have been attached to her mom regardless that’s all she knew and thought would care for her.
sir_bentley28
Yeah, sure! Only on the 32nd of every month they should give her 2 loaves of bread! Then she'll understand what her daughter went through!
ReynardFox
It’s possible he had more charges leveled at him than the woman did. The article makes it seem like he was responsible for the beatings in addition to the starving.