Police in Chiba City have arrested a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of killing her one-year-old daughter at their home last month.
According to police, Sayaka Kamata stabbed her daughter Yua several times in the chest with a fruit knife at their home in Inage Ward at around 5:40 p.m. on March 22, Sankei Shimbun reported. She then stabbed herself in the neck and stomach.
Kamata lives with her mother and grandmother who were out at the time time. When they returned home, Kamata’s mother called 110. Yua was pronounced dead at the hospital, while her mother survived.
Police waited until she recovered from her wounds before arresting her on Sunday. They said she has admitted to killing her daughter.
Kamata’s mother said her daughter has a history of mental illness and has been hospitalized in the past. Kamata and her husband separated late last year.
© Japan Today
21 Comments
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oldman_13
In this case while I have no sympathy for this murderess and she deserves to face punishment, it is obvious she had mental issues in the past that were bad enough to be hospitalized. Obviously you can't keep someone locked up forever due to mental illness, but she definitely should have been more closely monitored. Multiple other people share responsibility for this cruel murder.
Hokkaidoboy
While her mental health must be considered it is not a full excuse for murder either. I myself suffer from a condition and it never crossed my mind even crushing an insect.
Toshihiro
there have been a steady stream of domestic abuse cases lately
sir_bentley28
In this case, if the courts knew she had a history of mental illness, shouldn't they have given custody to the father? This innocent death could've been avoided.
stormcrow
Pretty crazy. It makes you wonder what kind of childhood upbringing the killer-mother must have had.
gogogo
Baby hatch you monster.... So selfish, I would take 100 of these unwanted kids!
carp_boya
A few of the recent headlines on this site:
Mother strangles newborn to death.
Mother arrested for suffocating 9-month old son.
Four-year old hit and killed by bus.
And now this.
It’s been an awful few days for children in Japan.
FizzBit
So sad. Did the father just runaway and leave her To fend for herself?
sir_bentley28
I don't think it has anything to do with her upbringing. It usually stems from post parts depression, added with stress from her divorce from her husband, She's 37 and lives home with her mother and grandmother with a baby. But
Daryl
They really love killing their defenseless kids in this country. sick indeed.
Joe Blow
They need to start calling it "reproductive justice" like the Americans do. That makes it OK.
smithinjapan
That's two days in a row, now. And why do these horrible people insisting on killing innocents FIRST, then themselves? They should start in the reverse order and let the innocents live.
Mayunia82
Another one...
Doug Maduro
Note to crazies in Japan: Use the knife on YOURSELF, not someone else. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated.
gaijinpapa
I wish people wouldn’t ask about the father. Most times the mother gets to keep the child. In her case it was probably easy since she lived with her mother.
There is no excuse. Post-natal depression? Mothers are killing their babies in Japan well after birth.
And too many times the father has no chance to do anything.
Start changing the law and culture so more fathers can share in child raising - even if separated or divorced.
ArtistAtLarge
How are most of these coment missing the very important fact of the mother's severe mental illness?
Doug Maduro
Boo hoo, her mental illness. A great number of people with mental illness KNOW they have mental illness. And if THEY don't, then the people they are living with DO. So just maybe a little proaction will go a VERY loooooong way.
Jonathan Prin
Again no sign of men in that family too.
I did the same remark last month, about 4 generation inhabitants in home with no father anywhere.
I have never heard of such family situation in my 60 million souls country !
DOEL HARRY
Such a SAD story.