The body of a newborn infant, whose gender is unknown, has been found in a coin locker at a shopping center at JR Ofuna Station in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, police said.
According to police, the infant’s remains were found by a security guard at around 2:40 p.m. Friday in the locker at JR Ofuna Lumine Wing, Sankei Shimbun reported. Police said the infant, which was wrapped in a towel, appeared to have been dead for several days.
Police said they are examining surveillance camera footage to try and identify the person who placed the baby’s remains in the locker.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
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snowymountainhell
RIP ‘little one’. - We don’t know the circumstances of your passing. -
Hervé L'Eisa
How can anyone do such a despicable thing?
Darius
Another dark side of Japanese culture right there. Shameful.
snowymountainhell
Apparently another ‘desperate action’ by another ‘desperate woman’ in Japan.
Let’s hope she’s found and receives the help, and/or justice once the circumstances of the death are revealed.
Mark
Sad, I am not sure about this, but I could search it I guess!
I know Japan will accept born children for adoption, the Q is why do these women choose to dump their babies instead of seeking help? There must be several reasons I can mention 1 or 2, may be it's too complicated to do so, or they are afraid of the authorities Q? them!
Local governments should make it more acceptable for these struggling women to put their kids up for adoption, rather than committing a crime.
snowymountainhell
Apologies to any girl in Tokyo, Kamakura and other adjacent areas, transgender-persons included, that possibly were offended for our earlier remarks @8:04am, which upon retrospect, could perhaps have been perceived as “sexist”. (English is mysecond language)
“another ‘desperate action’ by another ‘desperate woman’ in Japan. Let’s hope she’s found and receives the help, and/or justice once the circumstances of the death are revealed.” - “Police said they are examining surv. cam. footage to try & identify “the person” who placed the baby’s remains in the locker.” -starpunk
This is totally horrible, depliorable, criminal, despicable and absolutely obscene.
Zaphod
smh
Sure, any "gender identity", but not of any biological gender. It is insane to confuse bring human "identity" with facts. We can identify as anything we want, that that does not change reality.
foreignbrotherhoodarmy
rather than face shame, a Japanese person would kill their own child. Horrific
WilliB
foreignbrotherhoodarmy
Reality check: This sort of thing happens everywhere. Nothing specific about Japan.
oyatoi
Nice try! It may well happen everywhere; just nowhere near as often. Just ask Murakami Ryu.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin_Locker_Babies
Sven Asai
If ever caught, put that monster also in such a coin locker for a few days, so that she can get an imagination of how the newborn suffered. She instead of course won’t die from it, but maybe learns a little lesson for the next time.
Kiwikid
Obviously not defending the person who did this; the act is 100 on them. The causes however are more than likely not.
There are no anonymous adoption services is Japan. The old basket drop at an orphanage will get end in criminal charges. (Couple places set up drop boxes and have been threatened with legal action)
Sex education is non-existent. Sexual health services are prohibitively expensive and have some "unique" rules around them.
Postnatal support is embarrassingly inadequate. Daycare, financial support, education, anything. Even just giving birth here can cost an arm and a leg. Especially if you don't know how to apply for and or what financial support you are entitled to.
Once again. The person who pulled the trigger is to blame. But the system which loaded magazine, cocked it, took the safety off and handed it to them is at least partially to blame too.
Justin Case
I am often surprised and a little sickened by how often comments here are so quick to criticize the Japanese people or the government. What happened here is not a Japanese problem, it is a human problem. As a former police officer (now I am an attorney), I can tell you that I have personally recovered more than one deceased infant left in boxes, closets, and once in a dumpster. You have no idea who left this baby there or the circumstances. It may have been still born. As far as suicides, for example, the United States has a higher rate of suicide than Japan. South Korea's rate is far higher than both. So before acting like these articles are some sort of Japanese condition, do your research. These are human conditions that have nothing to do with ethnicity.
starpunk
'Next time'? How about putting her in a jail cell before there is a 'next time'?
Justin Case
I'll give you an example, a real life example. Fourteen year old girl gets pregnant from someone, maybe a boyfriend, relative, who knows. She won't say. She somehow hides the entire pregnancy from her parents and friends. On Thanksgiving Eve, she goes up into the attic and gives birth, all by herself. The baby isn't moving or breathing. She panics. She wraps the baby in a plastic bag, puts it in a box, and leaves it there. She has no idea what to do with it. As luck would have it, the next day her mom decides to do some arranging in the attic. She goes up there with two of her grandchildren. One of the grandchildren pulls on the box and out rolls the dead baby. Now, who, exactly, is evil in that situation? You live in a large city with no place to put much of anything and a locker in a train terminal is an available choice. Not a good one, but panicked people do not make good decisions. If the baby had been alive when placed in the box, it most likely would have cried and someone would likely have opened it. Maybe not, but I think so. So before rushing to execution, stop to consider the perspective of others, of the trauma that person must have gone through in making such a difficult choice.