Police in Toda City, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 38-year-old woman on suspicion of killing her 4-month-old son by drowning him in a bathtub.
According to police, Hatsune Otake, a part-time employee, is accused of drowning her son, Chihiro, at around 1 p.m. on April 21, NHK reported. She then took the baby and left the house.
Her husband contacted police and said, “My wife took the child, and we don't know where she is. She left a note saying goodbye.”
Police found Otake and her son inside JR Toda Station. The baby was taken to hospital, soaking wet and unconscious, but died about two hours later.
Otake was hospitalized. After she was well enough to leave hospital in Wednesday, police questioned her again and she admitted to killing her son.
Police quoted Otake as saying, “I was suffering from postpartum depression. It was painful.”
According to the Saitama-ken Minami Child Consultation Center, Otake called the center at around 9:30 a.m. on April 21 and said she no confidence in raising her child.
In the middle of the conversation, the mother said, "My child is crying," and hung up the phone. A child consultation center employee called the mother in the afternoon. She seemed calm at the time, and they arranged to meet in person the following day, but did not do so.
© Japan Today
8 Comments
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sakurasuki
Too bad for her, mental health problem just really not being acknowledge in Japan.
virusrex
As the article reads the consultation center employee called Otake after she killed her son and she appeared calm?
blackpassenger
Postpartum is no joke, but there’s no help in japan
kurisupisu
What a sad case.
The habit of mothers taking time to return to their own mothers (in Japan) for help with the child seems to be less of a thing now.
Having been exhausted after giving birth, many mothers are alone and having to care for their child.Not only exhausted but hormonally affected causes emotions to be on edge.
With such a decrease in population, it baffles me why more support isn’t given to new mothers.
DaDude
What? So many have gotten off light here due after pleading insanity.
grund
What a horrible event. As blackpassenger said, port partum depression is certainly no joke.
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Cephus
What a sad story bearing in mind this nation needs more children not less