Mother arrested after 4 children found dead in home

Mio... Miyu... the sisters from Fatal Frame II game. The sisters in that game were also strangled in a ritual.

And here we go yet again, it seems to me I read about this every week, day even

I know, it's sad to hear what this world is coming to, and not just in Japan. I guess the difference in the killing of kids in Japan and the killing of kids in the U.S., where I'm from is the motives. In Japan, it seems the primary motive is depression and a feeling of hopelessness amongst wives who get no help from husbands. In the U.S., it stems from jealously, as it seems everyday, there is news about someone killing their own kids to spite their ex-wives (or in rare cases ex-husbands).

As for abuse of kids, I hear the same kinds of stories both in Japan and the U.S., such as many people unwittingly killing their own kids by leaving them in cars to fry in summer, malnourished kids, some going around selling their own stuffed animals for food, and kids tied up, like dogs, outside of places like Walmart, while their parents are shopping inside. It's pathetic and evil how people treat kids around the world.

I once knew a Japanese housewife who always complained that all her husband did was come home late, leave his briefcase and suit jacket in the genkan for her to pick up, expect to served quietly so as not to disturb his TV viewing and then to look after his dirty laundry and set out his work clothes for the next day. She hated her husband. and repeated this fact and the rest of the story often,

One day, she told a different story. She spoke lovingly of her son in high school who played on one of the school's sports teams. She spoke lovingly of how she picked up his gym bag with his dirty uniform from the genkan after he returned from practice. Again lovingly, of how she silently waited upon him at dinner so as not to disturb his tv viewing. How she lovenly washed his clothes every day and set out the next day's clothes for him. She told us of she looked forward to making dinner for him each day.

I told her that she was teaching her son to be the exact same kind of husband as she had. I never saw her again.

Men in Japan are as they are largely because their mothers made them that way and their wives accept it.

If the guy is a clod, don't marry him. If you have no idea of what kind of a man he is but believe he must be a gem because he comes from a good family, don't marry him.

This particular housewife was of the generation which said that the perfect husband was, genki, okanemochi, rusagaii- healthy, wealthy and never home. What kind of chances do you think he had to be any different?

Yes DV happens and I do not blame the victim. But to automatically blame the father and provide a story that fits the traditional role of the father in this country will do nothing to solve the problem.

Yes, I do pity the father and will do so unless evidence is found that he seriously abused his family such that his late wife felt that the only way to save her children from a life time of suffering was to do what she did. MAYBE I could then be convinced that a father who wakes up to find all four of his children murdered my his wife is undeserving of pity.

And here we go yet again, it seems to me I read about this every week, day even. OMG! Go to hell, move directly to hell!

It's not cultural and it is absolutely not worse in Japan. According to UNICEF, the United States has 2.4 annual abuse-related deaths per 100,000 children, compared to 1 in Japan. Twenty-seven children under the age of 15 die from physical abuse or neglect every week in America.

@gaijinpapa Well, depression is relatively new in Japan. In a conference, a Japanese psychiatrist said he believed there was no mental illness but simply different types of people! You see, even some psychiatrists here do not believe that mental illness exists! It can be understood by the large emphasis of Japanese society on personal responsibility. On the other hand, they define insanity as total disregard to social norms.

every week there's news about a Japanese mother killing a child. They think a child would be better dead than living without the mother. This is cultural but it has to change.

It's not cultural, it happens around the world. What's cultural is the reporting on the matter - Western media reports the details of a crime, and the facts known around the incident. Japanese (Asian?) media reports on why the person did it, and their mindset around doing the crime.

Many people in this country are driven by cultural expectations, sometimes to the edge and over. This feels like a selfish cowardly act. The chance are that this won't be her last suicide attempt! RIP to them all...

@nedinjapan Plenty of people talk about depression. And there are many people on medication for depression. Plenty of people around the world have killed themselves and others while undergoing treatment for depression and taking medication.

@Billmurphy I can't fathom it either. But every week there's news about a Japanese mother killing a child. They think a child would be better dead than living without the mother. This is cultural but it has to change.

It would have been nice if the article's writer made a passing reference to a suicide hotline.

Though this is called a "murder-suicide", it would be better to call it a "suicide-murder". I say this because I've read of similar tragedies like this in the past in Japan where the mother killed her children as an "act of mercy" as they were about to lose their mother. I'm not a shrink and cannot fathom this, but that's what mothers who survived the suicide attempt said.

She called 110 again the next day to say that things were OK, police said.

Who calls the EMERGENCY hotline "110" to say things are OK??? Obviously things were NOT ok and I don't know why the police didn't call child services after receiving this call.

On another note, judging by the time of the day, it sounds like this was premeditated because she probably did this while the kids were all asleep. Otherwise, how would you strangle four kids to death with a video game cord?

Naa mate, everything was not alright... Tragic story.

The guy came downstairs and found his four children dead. I don't care how bad of a father he may have been (and we have zero evidence as to that), that's still a horrendous situation to awake to, and deserves pity no matter what.

Bingo

Maternal filicide is sometimes used for spousal revenge. Fact is, we don't know. Also the reason for spousal revenge, usually not as extreme as filicide, may be imagined.

Blame the Japanese system too! Here many still do not believe in Depression! Essentially, many Japanese systems reject the idea of mental illness. In a society like this, all problems are attributed to stress and personal behavior, and no one will consider the possibility of a disease that can be treated with medicine and other remedies.

she's a murderer and a stupid, selfish woman.

"There are one of the many thousand reasons why woman do this! Don't judge right away and most esp stop pitying the men!"

Well there you go folks. If husbands don't do much around the house, mothers will kill their kids.

This is just incredible. No Marilita. A husband who does nothing around the house is not a good enough reason to murder your children. Once you start with that the excuses for killing people will just be endless.

And if a woman worked and the man stayed home and couldn't cope with doing housework, I would still say the same thing.

Japanese people have got to stop killing their family members. She can to to the city office, her kids teachers, a temple, a church, any number of religions, or anywhere. But there is no excuse for murdering kids.

If you love your kids, don't kill them. That's it. If you won't look after them, someone will. And if you think nobody will look after them like you do, you're wrong - because at the very least they won't kill them.

There are some religious groups that I really dislike, but if was worn out from looking after kids to the extent I thought I was losing it, i'd knock on the door and ask for help.

I doubt she went from being a super happy mother after three kids to getting to this point - so another think people like that should think about is getting a simple op so you don't get pregnant again.

So sad. Beautiful looking kids.

and Malita, even if the father was having an affair its no excuse.

This is a mass-murder of the most sickening kind, but it receives very little public outcry or attention. There was a case lady year of a guy who kidnapped and killed a 12 year old girl. There was a huge media frenzy and public outcry. This woman has killed her four children and it just slips through as another news story. It's a crazy place this Japan.

I hope they put pictures of her children in front of her in a cell for the rest of her miserable life.

I hope that she doesn't get a judge who "understands" and feels sorry for her

Marilita: "I don't understand why almost all are saying 'the poor father'!"

Ummm... because he walked down the stairs in the morning and found his kids all dead and his wife had attempted suicide, maybe? Perhaps he was walking down the stairs and about to demand his morning miso soup and grilled fish. Or for all we know he was tip-toeing down the stairs to make his own breakfast quietly and not wake up his sleeping angels and wife. Doesn't matter which one he was, or more likely what degree in between, if you don't know why people feel sorry for a guy coming down the stairs and instead of a normal morning finding everyone dead (or near dead) at your wife's hands, you have some issues yourself that you need to deal with.

"Don't judge right away and most esp stop pitying the men!"

Sorry, but YOU are judging right away, based on ONE person you know, and perhaps a few others, and demanding people not pity ANY man as a result of your judgements. That's hypocrisy. I bet instead you pity the mother that murdered her four children, right? You pity the murderer, and have blamed a father you know zero about. Well done.

Lokke: "it's HIS FAMILY"

What century do you live in? It's not "his family" any more than his wife is a piece of meat for him to do with as he pleases; it's THEIR family. Or it WAS their family, until the wife made the single decision to stop it being a family by murdering THEIR kids.

You know zero details about the relationship -- even you admit that -- and so you canNOT blame the father AT ALL, any more than, with the example I gave on the other article, you should blame the wife in part for a man killing his son when you know nothing about the details there.

"Actually I DO know what the father was thinking."

No, you absolutely do not, and that is part of your problem.

"There is nothing for me to suspect or blame the wife, and you assuming that I SHOULD is stupid."

It was an example of your hypocrisy if you don't automatically blame the wife but here blame the father, without knowing anything about either situation.

You guys are coming up for reasons to blame the father when you know absolutely nothing about him, and finding ways to pity and justify the mother when you know nothing about her either. It's ridiculous.

clamenza: "I'm going to go out on a limb and say both bi-polar and schizophrenia.."

See what I mean? Anything to avoid saying she's a murderer and a stupid, selfish woman.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say both bi-polar and schizophrenia..

what's the background on these types of crimes? Why do the parents always take out the children? Regardless of the parent's problems the state would look after them it's not like they deserve a death sentence.

As to why so many people here kill their children, I think it has something to do with the fact that Japan does not have orphanages who really provide good care and the option of going back into normal society. Here there is no chance of leaving the institution and the children are considered an unwanted burden. Since there is no positive net to catch people and there's the cultural "better dead than to bother others" mentality I think it's connected in some way.

The only solution to stop suicides in Japan is to teach people to mingled with neighbors, talk to each other, share their problems with near ones, with friends, etc. In this way they can shoot out their stress otherwise the stress can burst inside of them & will make them crazy.

Bi-polar or schizophrenia?

Readers, please focus your comments on what is in the story and not at each other.

Although WE don't know what was going on, the father sure as hell did.

Yeah! Or maybe he didn't.

Lockke - You are exactly right. Although WE don't know what was going on, the father sure as hell did. Any man who doesn't sense something wrong with his wife before she goes on to kill her 4 kids is either lying or a complete moron.

Actually I DO know what the father was thinking. He was thinking everything seemed okay the night he slept at 11pm.

And that's all you know about what he was thinking.

I agree I have no idea on the exact circumstances. Does that mean I cant speculate?! I can speculate all I want and discuss my own theories with people here. I dont care if you agree with my opinions or speculations, since you're entitled to your own.

anyway, feel free to comment for the sake of arguing, strangerland.

I'll comment for the sake of defending the father from baseless accusations, since he isn't here to do it himself.

You have no idea what these people's circumstance was, nor what the father was thinking, what he knew or didn't know, nor what actions he may have taken to prevent something bad from happening prior to this incident. Everything you say is entirely baseless speculation.

Actually I DO know what the father was thinking. He was thinking everything seemed okay the night he slept at 11pm. I agree I have no idea on the exact circumstances. Does that mean I cant speculate?! I can speculate all I want and discuss my own theories with people here. I dont care if you agree with my opinions or speculations, since you're entitled to your own.

I'm as impacted by this story as you guys commenting and reading this article.

anyway, feel free to comment for the sake of arguing, strangerland.

I'm sorry, but a wife owning up ALL the problems like that so that the father wouldnt be burden, then ending up in that situation isn't exactly an excuse for the father. it's HIS FAMILY. No matter how much my wife tries to hide something for me if she's exhausted or have problems, I will sense it. I will know. cause i talk to her, I see her actions, I am aware of our family status. That doesnt really justify the father not knowing.

You have no idea what these people's circumstance was, nor what the father was thinking, what he knew or didn't know, nor what actions he may have taken to prevent something bad from happening prior to this incident. Everything you say is entirely baseless speculation.

Ridiculous assumption. You said yourself you have nothing to verify your comments, and don't know the details, and yet you have already assigned at least part of the blame to the man. Perhaps the mother was just very good at hiding her feelings, and maybe even didn't want to burden the father by pouring her heart out and asking for help. He went to bed, everything seemed fine. He came downstairs and found his kids dead and wife had slit her wrists.

I'm sorry, but a wife owning up ALL the problems like that so that the father wouldnt be burden, then ending up in that situation isn't exactly an excuse for the father. it's HIS FAMILY. No matter how much my wife tries to hide something for me if she's exhausted or have problems, I will sense it. I will know. cause i talk to her, I see her actions, I am aware of our family status. That doesnt really justify the father not knowing.

That's all you know. Why haven't you gone on to the thread about the man stabbing his 12-year-old son and said it must also be partly the wife's fault? The answer is because we don't know that she had anything to do with what happened between them, same as we have no evidence this is in any way anyone but the wife's fault. They may not have been on the best of terms -- we don't know -- but not his fault she murdered them, sorry.

You're being ridiculous. So my not visiting another article and commenting on it somehow leads you to somehow judge me? FYI this was the first article I read today. And I read that article afterwards. There is nothing for me to suspect or blame the wife, and you assuming that I SHOULD is stupid. You're very fast to judge others. I did not said it was the father's fault she murdered them, only that he could have prevented it. see how different that is?

I know of 4 suicides in Japan that occurred in my vicinity. As well as the innumerable train delays, it seems that mental illness is rampant here. This case is surprisingly grisly.......

I don't understand why almost all are saying 'the poor father'!

The guy came downstairs and found his four children dead. I don't care how bad of a father he may have been (and we have zero evidence as to that), that's still a horrendous situation to awake to, and deserves pity no matter what.

Ridiculous assumption. You said yourself you have nothing to verify your comments, and don't know the details, and yet you have already assigned at least part of the blame to the man.

For once, we are in full agreement on something like this. We hae no idea if the father was the best or worst father in the world

I don't understand why almost all are saying 'the poor father'! At the moment I'm trying to counsel a mother around her age who seems to go be going crazy because her husband doesn't help her in anything around the house and yet expect to be served like as if she didn't have three little ones to look after. Not even setting the table for dinner. She starts to eat at 9:00pm rushing to be able to bathe the kids while the hubby sits in front of of the Telly laughing at and watching lousy variety shows! There are one of the many thousand reasons why woman do this! Don't judge right away and most esp stop pitying the men!

Exactly the point I was trying to make, though I didnt want to paint the picture and be downvoted for being stereotype, but I completely agree 1000%.

When I get home I help my wife with taking care of the Kid. I do the dishes, take out the trash, and play with my kid and have quality time with both of them. I know a lot of families in Japan are exactly how you painted it to be. Being a male dominant country, the salary men / workers here just expects the wives to serve them and not do anything since they're tired from work. Emotionally detached from their own wife, the wife does not have anyone to talk to, in this society and culture. Add couple years like that to the mentally weak wife and there you go.

Lockke: "Unless the wife have some sort of mental issues which wasnt reported, I'd say the father could have prevented this from happening had he had more information on how his own wife was doing mentally."

Ridiculous assumption. You said yourself you have nothing to verify your comments, and don't know the details, and yet you have already assigned at least part of the blame to the man. Perhaps the mother was just very good at hiding her feelings, and maybe even didn't want to burden the father by pouring her heart out and asking for help. He went to bed, everything seemed fine. He came downstairs and found his kids dead and wife had slit her wrists. That's all you know.

Why haven't you gone on to the thread about the man stabbing his 12-year-old son and said it must also be partly the wife's fault? The answer is because we don't know that she had anything to do with what happened between them, same as we have no evidence this is in any way anyone but the wife's fault. They may not have been on the best of terms -- we don't know -- but not his fault she murdered them, sorry.

I don't understand why almost all are saying 'the poor father'! At the moment I'm trying to counsel a mother around her age who seems to go be going crazy because her husband doesn't help her in anything around the house and yet expect to be served like as if she didn't have three little ones to look after. Not even setting the table for dinner. She starts to eat at 9:00pm rushing to be able to bathe the kids while the hubby sits in front of of the Telly laughing at and watching lousy variety shows! There are one of the many thousand reasons why woman do this! Don't judge right away and most esp stop pitying the men!

Another case of mental illness it seems. Day after day after day I read news stories of people seemingly affected by mental illness, but what is ever done about it?

Are there any support lines available in Japan - a mental health helpline, a suicide prevention helpline, etc. ?

If these organisations exist then surely the media (including Japan Today) can add the contact details of all such bodies at the end of these kinds of stories.

If these organisations don't exist, then surely the media (including Japan Today) can get together and speak out in favour of such bodies being formed.

I don't care about the statistics being normal for developed nations (don't trust Japanese stats). There is a serious problem with child abuse and infanticide in Japan and I have heard nothing been done about it ever.

Why was she calling the police for help? Is there no 24 hour mother's support line in Japan like here in NZ? Or state funded mother support? What support IS there for mothers in Japan?

And yet after killing all 4 of her kids, she failed at killing herself and still lives. It is probably going to be the same excuse, "I was anxious about their future or ability to raise them".

I pity the father too, being a father myself. I wont say he is completely blameless for this though. It's HIS family. HIS wife. They clearly had communication issues, else the father would have known something was off. He failed to see how his wife is having a hard time raising four kids on her own. Dont know the details of course, but It's not unlikely for me to imagine the father working long hours and barely seeing his family. much less talking to them.

Unless the wife have some sort of mental issues which wasnt reported, I'd say the father could have prevented this from happening had he had more information on how his own wife was doing mentally.

This poor father, that's about the worst horror I can imagine on a person. And RIP to the kids.

Jesus Christ..

every.freaking.day.

Why dont you guys reverse the order!! Kill YOURSELF FIRST!!!!!

And not HALF AN HOUR after I posted something along this vein on the thread about the man killing his 12-year-old son. Why do so many people here kill their children? It's astounding! I hope this woman rots in prison and in hell. She murdered four children... it's beyond comprehension.

People... if you REALLY need to do yourself in -- I mean, if you have sought help but found none, and feel it is the only thing left, I feel genuinely sorry for you, but do NOT take others with you!! I hope they put pictures of her children in front of her in a cell for the rest of her miserable life.

OMG I'd go insane if I was him and walked in on that scene, the poor father