Newborn baby found in convenience store toilet trash can

@Tahoochi

Well your certainly entitled to your opinion. I have been in Japan a long time and have made many friends. I can`t make a exact count, but around 15 - 20 japanese friends. It just happens to be one of the unspoken topics of japanese culture.

Although there has been much press with respect to the Osaka Abandonment Case and the "Nishi-Sugamo" case; international media coverage from the late 80s incident opened the can of worms for Japan with respect to this problem. As a result, the Japanese government made the Aka-Chan(赤ちゃん) Postal box for this specific problem. However, more recently more and more teenagers in Japan are having unprotected sex. In turn they get pregnant and we cases like this arrise. Maybe in Tokyo its a bit different but because there is a lack of sexual education in japanese school further away from large metropolises kids actions are reflected in their education and choices. It`s a revolving circle.

There are many things that are swept under the proverbial rug in Japan.what other country has coined the term coin-locker babies that you know of. Again this is a wide spread issue. I strong urger you to politely take your head out of sand and know your topic before you retort devils advocate comments.

I know you meant well.

There is NO excuse - PERIOD - for trashing an innocent-defenseless newborn, regardless of her / their reasons as we are living in an information era where options are more abundant and accessible!!

So very sad......especially after the past few days reading about the 2 year old in china being ingorned by 19 people who walked on by. Now we have a little baby girl who is dumped by her mother (regardless of the reasons as to why whether they be because of rape, being too young, not wanting the baby)!!! The point of the matter is that little baby was depended on her mother for 9 months as she grew inside her. Once she was born she was dumped and left to fend for herself. Sad sad sad.

Abandoning a newborn in a combini is against the Lawson. Authorities suspect the baby was dumped there sometime between 7-11. It would be ironic if the baby was left at a Family Mart...

Wonder what she told her friends / parents / boyfriend when they see that her stomach has seriously deflated and a baby is not around...

why isn't Japan outraged over these numerous incidents of infanticide? Where's the soul-searching over mistreatment of children in this country? Shame!

I agree with BlueWitch - unless this woman is mentally incapacitated in some way then there is NO excuse - none whatsoever. Not even if she was raped Sometimes sh1t happens. It sucks but it does. But doing more wrong does not somehow fix what happened to you and unless you are a total cold-hearted selfish botch, it ultimately will make it worse for you.

I also think the mother was using the bathroom as a "baby drop," hoping the baby would be found alive, not dead.

Ben4short I admire your faith in humanity - but a toilet trash can??! Really??! Not a hospital reception? Police koban? You think she chose a combini store toilet trash can and wrapped the baby in a plastic bag out of concern for her future welfare??!

pffft!! no wonder why japans population is going to die out in like 10 years

@ Serrano<>

It could have been a man who did the actual abandoning.

I agree. It was not love after all. It was lust.

The baby girl could well be one of the possible candidates that mark the 7 billion on earth. Japan is desperately boosting its population growth, hence no matter what is story behind the abandoned baby, this is a positive contribution above all.

Learning from examples of generous social & financial supports in Europe towards single mothers, such incidents in Japan would be easily resolved ?

That should read 'a cultural aversion', not 'a wrong cultural aversion'

Unfortunately, Japanese people have a wrong cultural aversion to adopting. I've tried to convince my wife that if we want another child, we should adopt, as we already have one biological child, and many adopted children need homes. But it goes against what she has been taught, and the idea makes her uncomfortable.

This aversion to adoption is probably one of the things that mothers such as the one in this story are think g of when they decide to leave their babies for dead or whatnot.

That's so sad. I'd love to have a baby with my partner, but he has yet to come around to my way of thinking. If only those of us that want children could just arbitrarily have them instead.

I don't know what the mother's circumstances are, but I think this kind of news just illustrates the need for education and social programs on these issues.

I never understand these situations. You'd rather live with the guilt of throwing a life out in the trash?

Biologicaly every child has both a father and mother, a creepy, slutty ,description of the childs mother is debatable and conclusive only with evidence. Personaly all I care about is the fact that this tiny newborn was found in time to save her life. As in fairytales, if I were this little girls Godmother I would wish her love, security and happyness from now til eternity

very sad for this baby no mother no father

the baby didn't ask for a creepy slutty mother

very sad

Agree with you BlueWitch. I hope they find the mother from videotapes and take appropriate action. Thank god the baby was found in time and recovering now.

If you don't live in my country then, why are you ASSUMING that I am judging her? I wasn't judging her at all, except for the fact that leaving a NEWBORN inside a trashcan is a CRIME that is punishable under Japanese law. Moreover, if she wasn't mentally capable, then she should receive professional mental help, as I stated in my post. I can't condemn someone that is not mentally fit. So why are you ASSUMING that I am against her? Or is it that my English is not good enough? Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, and you should respect that. I clearly said that if she indeed left the baby to die consciously, then have her prosecuted to the full extent of the law, mind you, even if she gets convicted the punishment will be very light compared to other countries. Still, if she was not mentally capable, then professional help is a must. But someone who leaves a baby to die and that person is completely mentally healthy, then that person should BURN, because in my moral value, that is MURDER, plain and simple!! Understand? Thank You

it is because of the way you have worded your posts.

if you had said

"its mothers who knowingly abandon their children to die that really anger me. I hope they burn in hell"

then you would avoid arguments like this.

FIRST: Educate teenagers in high school the risk of abandoning a baby. SECOND: Take a page from other countries books and form some sort of helpline or organization that supports people who are considering doing such a thing (if it doesn't yet exist here). THIRD: Re-educate people and publicize that support does exist! Many countries bring attention to all sorts of social issues such as violence, smoking, depression etc through media like magazines and TV commercials. Japan should do the same.

@Cricky

Blue witch If they were indeed mentally competent? I do agree with you. And this action one would hope is due to mental incompetence rather than selfishness. That was my point...we do not know! On the face of it yes it's horrific Maybe the story is even more horrific and perhaps "in context" , understandable, (not what I want to covey) If she felt this was her best option than That is a serious problem. Yes I am aware of the issues involving the Pill. Giving birth, chances are alone or with begrudging pig boyfriend in a covene toilet, that is a lost soul. Self esteem and self worth are obviously not present.

Right on, Cricky....Good to know you got my point..some people seem to "misunderstand" my posts. lol

are you so quick to judge even when you know NOTHING about the mother? for all you know she could be a young woman who had been raped and had been too afraid to come forward about it. its obvious that the mother was NOT in a right state of mind and should NOT be judged so harshly right now. (especially since we don't know the entire story) when they find the birth mother and the whole story comes to light, THEN i will make my decision as to whether i should feel sympathy for this mother, or if i should despise her.

If you don't live in my country then, why are you ASSUMING that I am judging her? I wasn't judging her at all, except for the fact that leaving a NEWBORN inside a trashcan is a CRIME that is punishable under Japanese law. Moreover, if she wasn't mentally capable, then she should receive professional mental help, as I stated in my post. I can't condemn someone that is not mentally fit. So why are you ASSUMING that I am against her? Or is it that my English is not good enough? Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, and you should respect that. I clearly said that if she indeed left the baby to die consciously, then have her prosecuted to the full extent of the law, mind you, even if she gets convicted the punishment will be very light compared to other countries. Still, if she was not mentally capable, then professional help is a must. But someone who leaves a baby to die and that person is completely mentally healthy, then that person should BURN, because in my moral value, that is MURDER, plain and simple!! Understand? Thank You.

Blue witch If they were indeed mentally competent? I do agree with you. And this action one would hope is due to mental incompetence rather than selfishness. That was my point...we do not know! On the face of it yes it's horrific Maybe the story is even more horrific and perhaps "in context" , understandable, (not what I want to covey) If she felt this was her best option than That is a serious problem. Yes I am aware of the issues involving the Pill. Giving birth, chances are alone or with begrudging pig boyfriend in a covene toilet, that is a lost soul. Self esteem and self worth are obviously not present.

I feel very sorry for this abandoned baby but also for the young mother. Maybe she got drunk?? Maybe she got raped? Maybe incest? We have no idea what happened to her to drive her to have her baby in the toilet of a 7 11?? store, very easy to just call her a stupid whore etc..but we really must wait for to understand how she got herself into this situation. Time for Japan to be more like California, you can not care for the baby, just drop them off at your local FIRE STATION, Police Station etc..no questions asked and they will protect the child.

A teen who "panics" during the delivery? This isn't like a hit and run incident where the driver suddenly panics and drives off. She's known this would happen for AT LEAST eight months. You're going to have to do a lot better than that when finding a reason to understand why she did it.

Still, if this woman had the intention of living her baby to die in that plastic bag inside the trash can, then I hope she really burns in hell. Women that leave their newborns to die consciously are no better than scum to me, if they were indeed mentally competent though. I can't condone this woman's actions because there is always another option, other than killing the baby

are you so quick to judge even when you know NOTHING about the mother? for all you know she could be a young woman who had been raped and had been too afraid to come forward about it. its obvious that the mother was NOT in a right state of mind and should NOT be judged so harshly right now. (especially since we don't know the entire story) when they find the birth mother and the whole story comes to light, THEN i will make my decision as to whether i should feel sympathy for this mother, or if i should despise her.

@Jacqueline, Cricky

I understand very well your point, as someone born and raised in this cold, rotten society....everything is usually dumped on the woman...this is still a MAN dominated society and it's NOT gonna change any time soon.. It's the grease stinky old men in the government that keep the "pill" extremely limited so the multi-million yen abortion empire can keep its place as the number one contraceptive method!!! Did you know that the pill was approved only in 1999 and that pelvic exams were required to have every 3 months for those who chose using the pills.

Still, if this woman had the intention of living her baby to die in that plastic bag inside the trash can, then I hope she really burns in hell. Women that leave their newborns to die consciously are no better than scum to me, if they were indeed mentally competent though. I can't condone this woman's actions because there is always another option, other than killing the baby!! -_-

"find this woman and throw her in a damn trash can!"

It could have been a man who did the actual abandoning.

Grrrrrr

Hmmm. women have been birthing for a long time. If there weren't European toilets, but Asian, her squatting would have facilitated the birth. I thought adoption was stigmatized in Japan? Is is booming now? Plastic will retain what little warmth the baby had. Glad she made it, she's a fighter!

When i first read the article title my heart nearly stopped. i thought ANOTHER baby had been found dead, abandoned to the cold harsh world, without any chance to live, but i am immensely relieved that she was ok. i don't know if i should have any sympathy for the mother.

yes what she did was wrong on many levels, but we have to understand how she felt.

what if she was a teenager? a girl who got in over her head and was freaking out. can you really say she deserves to die or deserves a prison sentence? no. i believe above all else, therapy has to be mandetory when they find her.

she obviously was not in a right state of mind

For every cockaroach you see, there are 100 that you don't see. I wonder how many babies in trash cans weren't found for each story like this.

The mother might well be some poor young kid who was scared out of her wits about what to do and totally panicked. It's very easy to rush to self-righteous indignation, but in some circumstances even the most ordinary of people can be driven to do atrocious acts. Until the full circumstances come to light, what's the point of making such predictable judgements?

Given that it takes a little while - usually- to deliver a baby & most of us make a bit of noise, it seems unlikely the birth took place there, even if there was some (how much?) blood. It says she was wrapped in a plastic bag- not that her face was covered, so why does everyone think the mum (or other relative, avoiding shame??) was trying to kill her? Sadly, adoption rates are low in Japan & she might get stuck in a children's home for ever....

No comment from Blue Witch??

This is a rare event in Japan and I am glad the baby was found safe. I said this the last time I saw this story in Japan. They should allow a no ask safe point drop for mothers that are scared and do not want to keep their babies. I am an American and there are laws in the US that allow women in such circumstances to take their new born babies to hospitals, police, fire and rescue with no questions asked. The baby can be given to one of these institutions and do not have to give any more information. The baby is properly taken care of and put into the States custody. It may not be the best solution but better than leaving a baby to potentially die. Just my thoughts on the subject. Once again glad the infant was found OK.

To those saying she could have chose to dump the baby elsewhere and use this as proof that she intended the baby to survive, I ask this: Considering the baby was dumped as soon as it was born, how do you delay or accelerate delivery to coincide with arrival at some "desired" location? Also, why would walking out of the bathroom with the newborn have been so traumatic for the mother that she felt it better to wrap the baby in plastic and dump it in a trashcan? Is there some law against mothers saying they can't care for a child and ask to put it up for adoption? Some social stigma that overrides a mother's natural instinct to protect and nurture her child?

The little girl is alive and from all accounts well. Where there is life there is always hope. I wish her all the best for her future. I hope it turns out to be a bright and happy one with people who will cherish and love her.

sick sick sick! thankfully she's still alive though....now to get into hands that will care for her

Just so relieved that this little girl was found in time to save her life. Though the start of her life was treated in a calous disregard for her safety I hope the outcome for her future will be happy, loved and secure

"Shows I'd make a lousy PI. (But still, I continue to maintain the woman intended the baby to be found alive.)"

Part of me agrees with you. If she hadn't wanted the baby to be discovered, she could have had her anywhere.

Although wrapping the baby up in a plastic bag gives me pause. Maybe it was a ill-conceived attempt to protect the baby from the germs of the trash can.

Odd are, though, that when they find the mother -- and they will -- there's no way she avoided the video cameras, they're going to discover she's a high-school aged. Hence the foolish idea to get rid of the baby in this manner.

Breaks my heart...

I hope this newborn babe finds a loving home with loving parents. In the USA there are more couples that desire to adopt than there are babies put up for adoption. Is that true in Japan too?

It's Japan it's all on the woman, shame, ostracized from friends and family. We know little about her state of mind less about the circumstances, I am not condoning at all. But I doubt there will be a follow up article so damming this poor woman (what motive results in such an action) It might be the background is unimaginable or just selfish. We will never know and there will be a new story tomorrow. The baby is safe. If being institutionalized in Japan for life is safe. Really would like to see a massive overhaul of welfare services.

As I read this, they're showing a documentary on mistreated children... I guess it's recently either one or the other over here... Both are atrocious crimes - especially here in Japan where an abandonned child will, most probably (if he/she survives) be marked for life. Mistreated children are very often so badly mistreated that they never get over it - IF they survive... Having almost died giving birth to my first baby, I just cannot understand this weird behaviour. Even animals take better care of their offspring ! On the other hand, I am pro-choice, as long as it's not "too late"...

And I feel terribly sorry for you if you think that putting a baby in a plastic bag and throwing it in the trash is a parent showing adequate concern and love for their child, whether they desire to raise it or not.

Going, I refuse to further engage your cynical speculation. Hopefully some day you'll realize that cynicism is destructive and leads absolutely nowhere.

@ smithinjapan

"You never hear much from the anti baby-hatch people on this kind of post, not that the woman would have necessarily given the infant up in one." aint that the truth!

"Glad they found her, and I only PRAY that if/when they find the mother they have no intention of trying to return the baby to her. Give the child to a family that deserves and will love her, and there are PLENTY who cannot have their own who are waiting." GO HEAD! tell it like it is!

her and her sex partner's result correlates with many of those who want pleasure with no responsibility.............but wind up in need of a "baby-hatch" and in this case the covert opportunity of a public restroom......I guess she cut the cord herself too.....ugh!

Do you know what the definition of trash, is Ben? Worthless discarded objects. She threw her own daughter in a receptacle for worthless discarded objects full of unsanitary dirty things, and not only this she bothered to put the child into a plastic bag, knowing full well that noone can breathe properly if they have a plastic bag over them, let alone a new born baby who has had its umbilical cord cut and just left unclipped. How can you possibly think she had this child's best interests at heart?

Going, repetitive speculation on your part and mine is pointless, so let's both give it up. You want to believe this woman is evil and I prefer to give her the benefit of the doubt until further information is available. Half full, dude, half full.

littlebearOct. 21, 2011 - 03:52PM JST

This is a widespread issue in Japan. I know quite a few people who are friends of mine (Japanese) who don' t have parents because of abandonment issues. Although the issue at hand isn't really spoken about per say it is a considerable problem. It may seem completely outrageous to read or hear someone mention this but the instances of this are much higher than people might think from a country such as Japan.

I'm not denying that this is an issue because we see similar articles here on JT periodically, and I'm sure you have your reasons, but I find it hard to believe such vague and unsupported comments. What is considered "widespread"? How many friends? Those friends of yours were all abandoned at birth such as in this case? How many instances should "a country like Japan" have?

I don't know but it sounds premeditated to me it's like she wanted to erase it from her life like it never happened she never got pregnant therefore no baby. She off doing whatever.

Then why not leave the baby on the floor, at least wrap it in an item of her own clothing, if she cared at all? Why put it in a plastic bag, thus restricting its breathing, and then put it in the trash? If you put a plastic bag over a baby, what happens Ben? It is likely not to be able to breathe. If you then put that baby in plastic into a bin, it is even more likely to not survive. She concealed it, and deliberately did things which were likely to harm the child. Lets concentrate on what she did, rather than didnt do. She did cut the cord herself, she did put the child into a plastic bag, and then put that baby in plastic, into a concealed place - ie the trash. How about this, how about she gave birth somewhere sanitary, then gave the baby up for adoption, or at least dressed it, wrapped it up warmly and put her in a safe and clean place, rather than throw her own daughter into the trash.

Some clarity. As usual, the English translation provided by JT is inadequate. Checking the original in any Japanese newspaper will reveal the following:

a) the baby was found with its umbilical cord still attached; b) there was blood on the bathroom floor, leading police to believe the baby was born in the bathroom.

Shows I'd make a lousy PI. (But still, I continue to maintain the woman intended the baby to be found alive.)

ben4short, I hear you and I hope there will be a follow up article if the women in question is found.

Utrack, 1) the percentage of Japanese women on the pill is very low because the (male) Medical Establishment in this country exaggerates the pill's potential health dangers in their chauvinistic attempt to repress and restrict women's sexual freedom; 2) we don't know if the baby was born in the bathroom or brought their alive, though my guess is the later; 3) we also don't know anything about the mother's personal life, so it's pointless to speculate about clubs or "escapades;" 4) the only way to come anywhere close to understanding this woman's (lack of) feelings and psychological state is to spend an extended period of time with her, and even that probably won't reveal anything very deep.

The Birth control PILL has been on the Market for Years.... I don't get it. A library bathroom birth ( previous article ) and now a convenience store bathroom birth at least this one was found alive. After I read this story a recent article came to mind : The good, the bad and the desperate: Tokyo's raunchy underground clubs where patrons do not always use protection during their interactions and I thought could this baby be a product of some nameless escapade? Not necessarily from a club. I am just trying to understand the emotional under-development that would cause this type of scenario.

Reminds me of "Coin Locker Babies" by Ryū Murakami

I always wonder why people who don't want their babies don't try to find a family that wants to adopt a child, but has been put on a long waiting list. Even though it is illegal that these childless parents pay for getting a baby for adoption, they could find other ways to be grateful towards a mother of an unwanted child, which they could adopt. This may sound cruel to speak about a child in monetary terms, but since adoption is difficult and many people really want to raise a child, there has to be a change about this. The current system makes all people suffer and the children suffer most. These prejudices must be thrown overboard for the sake of children and mothers.

I hope this 'mother' does time.

Give the child to a family that deserves and will love her, and there are PLENTY who cannot have their own who are waiting.

I sure hope this is what will happen. I've been told that adopting (non related) children is very rare in Japan though.

It is possible to give birth alone? With no nurses or anyone to aid her?

That's the way almost all other species of the world do it.

At the very least, the woman who abandoned the baby did so in a convenience store bathroom, which sees relatively heavy traffic. It could have been a trash can in a park somewhere and the baby might not have been found for hours.

Hope this little girl never learns of how she came into the world.

It is possible to give birth alone? With no nurses or anyone to aid her?

japan need baby don't abandon them we need more here ............

Gone, you're beating a dead horse. If your intention is murder, you don't choose a public space to carry it out. She intentionally chose a c-store's john because she wanted someone to find the baby alive.

If you put a newborn living thing in a plastic bag, and then in a trash can, your intentions are not for it to survive

This is a widespread issue in Japan. I know quite a few people who are friends of mine (Japanese) who don' t have parents because of abandonment issues. Although the issue at hand isn't really spoken about per say it is a considerable problem. It may seem completely outrageous to read or hear someone mention this but the instances of this are much higher than people might think from a country such as Japan.

Going, we're both speculating about the mother's intentions, which is ultimately unproductive.

What is not speculation, however, is your ridiculous point that the baby is somehow going to be told the unsavory details of her first few hours. And just how do you imagine this will play out?

Give the child to a family that deserves and will love her, and there are PLENTY who cannot have their own who are waiting.

Amen, to that.

She put her in a plastic bag, and threw her in a trash can. A baby in a plastic bag could very easily suffocate. She wasnt wrapped in a blanket and put somewhere sanitary. There is nothing about this that said she wanted that baby to be found alive and well.

When she finds out, as she will, that her mother put her to suffocate in a plastic bag, and then threw her as trash, in a filthy bathroom bin, she will certainly need healing, and therapy and a lot of love to help her recover from the psychological wound that her mother threw her away like she was trash.

Come on! NOBODY heard any noises at all? There MUST have been some kind of noises. And how long was she in there? What unfolded in that bathroom HAD to take a bit of time. Didn't the staff get suspicious at all?

You never hear much from the anti baby-hatch people on this kind of post, not that the woman would have necessarily given the infant up in one.

Glad they found her, and I only PRAY that if/when they find the mother they have no intention of trying to return the baby to her. Give the child to a family that deserves and will love her, and there are PLENTY who cannot have their own who are waiting.

I also think the mother was using the bathroom as a "baby drop," hoping the baby would be found alive, not dead.

What a terribly sad story! I would adopt this little girl without hesitation but the adoption procedures here are ridiculous.

My guess is that the baby was born elsewhere.

I hope that the little girl finds love with a family who will treasure her and that will heal the hurt this useless female caused to her

C'mon, going, let's not get carried away. Doubt the baby needs any "healing."

.

Not the first time we've heard a story like this, and unfortunately not the last.

She clearly didnt want this baby, but how could she give birth somewhere so unsanitary, look at her new born daughter, and put her to die in a plastic bag and throw her in the trash? How could she do that? What is lacking in this monster of a woman that she is able to try and kill her newborn and walk away, condemning that child to be cold and suffocating in a bin? I hope that the little girl finds love with a family who will treasure her and that will heal the hurt this useless female caused to her.

Obviously, the baby was born where she was found. The mother will be caught in no time since there are security cameras.

How can she squeeze it out without anyone noticing? Did she give birth alone?

I understand you may have issues young lady, but this is not the way to handle things.

Luck and love to the Baby girl, may your life take a better turn.

Trash Can? WTF!!! Hurry up and find this woman and throw her in a damn trash can!!