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Police in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, have arrested a 54-year-old man on suspicion of abandoning a body after he kept his 87-year-old mother’s corpse at their home.
Police said Toshiaki Nakagawa told them his mother Kimiyo died of natural causes on Aug 5 and that he didn’t notify authorities because he couldn’t afford to pay for a funeral, Fuji TV reported.
The body was found on Friday after the caretaker of the multi-unit compound reported a foul odor coming from the Nakagawa residence. Kimiyo’s body was lying on the floor of a tatami room.
© Japan Today
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oldman_13
Another one?
Japan seems to lead the world in cases of individuals keeping deceased bodies for prolonged periods of time in their homes.
Disillusioned
City hall does provide funeral services for free in these circumstances.
It really amazes me how these people live with rotting corpses. The smell must be horrid!
Ex_Res
Arresting people for tragedies like this just seems completely OTT.
Surely it's a matter for social services, along with a police interview.
Luddite
Again? This seems very unique to Japan.
Ex_Res
Again? This seems very unique to Japan.
No, not unique to Japan. It happens very occasionally in my native country.
WA4TKG
What do you expect when people can’t afford to even report such a thing.
BlackFlagCitizen
It's a sad state of affairs when someone is unable to report the death of their own family member due to inadequate finances. It should not be like this
Ex_Res
What do you expect when people can’t afford to even report such a thing.
It's a sad state of affairs when someone is unable to report the death of their own family member due to inadequate finances. It should not be like this
Exactly.