crime

Osaka man arrested for scalding toddler to death with hot water

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Awful simply awful

22 ( +24 / -2 )

You have to step out of the bathroom to set the shower water temperature higher?! That sounds like an inconvenient shower. Prayers to the child.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Well done, local government officials!

20 ( +23 / -3 )

Why did she continue to stay with the guy for three months after she suspected his abuse?

21 ( +25 / -4 )

In May, the boy's mother consulted the local government in Settsu about Matsubara allegedly abusing the child, but the city's consultation center concluded the situation at the time did not require any protective measures for the child.

I guess these officials are all 公務員, who have huge financial and career privileges than the average salaryman?! Hope some heads will roll, but they will probably only reprimanded as it the usual procedure here.

12 ( +14 / -2 )

This is sickening.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

In May, the boy's mother consulted the local government in Settsu about Matsubara allegedly abusing the child,

Ding! Ding! The alarm bells go off! Why didn’t she kick his donkey out then? RIP little man. You deserved better.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Rest in Peace to the poor little boy.

The only justice for the animal who did this is execution. The pain and torture this innocent boy went through means there is no more heinous crime. The child killer scum has permanently lost his right to live in society, and not a single tear would be shed when he hangs.

1 ( +9 / -8 )

This poor kid. The horror of the last minutes of his life.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Good god !

What is happening here ?!

We are seeing this child abuse more and more of late . Or is it that it is being reported more now ! Horrible story .

Bless that child x

6 ( +6 / -0 )

A woman with three-year-old boy cannot leave her new-found boyfriend so easily.

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

With apartments that have their own individual water boiler, and I would wager that's the overwhelming majority

I believe that in Japan, the majority of apartments have hot water on demand, and don't use boilers. I've never lived in a place in Japan with a boiler.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

Three years old. Unbelievable.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Really sickening story. Not just the murderer, but the government for once again not doing anything despite every alarm bell imaginable going off.

In addition to the mother having regular consultations where she said her child was abused, friends that visited the apartment also called the child consultation center after seeing the boyfriend yell and throw stuff at the boy, and unusual bruises on the boy's face. The boy also repeatedly said he didn't like the boyfriend. The people in power did nothing because the boyfriend promised not to abuse the boy anymore.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Once again Japan's social welfare services have failed another child. What's it going to take before they start taking all cases and concerns seriously? A woman seeking help for domestic abuse is already a glaring sign for trouble . Why didn't they follow up on her case?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

A woman with three-year-old boy cannot leave her new-found boyfriend so easily

And why not? A woman doesn't need to depend on her partner to support herself and her child. There are resources she can tap into, family she can potentially ask for assistance from. This whole "woman needs a man to survive" shtick is an antiquated and misogynistic concept that needs to be stamped out. There are many single mother households that do just fine.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Absolutely heartbreaking. Poor little one. Rest on God's care now.

Incidents like this should prompt the Prime Minister flanked by the heads of justice, police etc to hold a stop the nation press conference where they look citizens in eyes and tell them in no uncertain terms that such abuse of children will not be tolerated and that perpetrators will pay severely.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

All readers back on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Social services wins AGAIN! How many times, honestly... how many times do we have to hear of them waiting for a corpse to say something's wrong and doing their jobs? An the woman? why on earth would she stay with the guy after seeking advice on his abuse? She deserves to be held as an accomplice to the murder. As for the murderer himself, please lock him up for life. I know a toddler's life is generally worth two years to judges here, but I hope this time they lock him up for good.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Water temp controls aren't always in the shower. Sometimes they're only in the kitchen. RIP.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This is not the first incident of a boyfriend hurting a child of the man that was previously involved with his partner, I honestly think that most Japanese men have a hard time dealing with another mans child, it's a possession thing they can't deal with it

8 ( +8 / -0 )

> StrangerlandToday 09:56 am JST

With apartments that have their own individual water boiler, and I would wager that's the overwhelming majority

> I believe that in Japan, the majority of apartments have hot water on demand, and don't use boilers. I've never lived in a place in Japan with a boiler

I would call them heaters as they do not store water like in a boiler. That said, this is an unconscionable act deserving of swift justice and lengthy jail time. Poor poor child.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What a monster!! to put that poor child to such suffering.... lets see how many years of jail he's getting - justice must be served!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

If she knew that her boyfriend was abusing the baby, why did she not leave him?

Sickening. poor baby. RIP

6 ( +6 / -0 )

According to the news, the mother's friends regularly saw the boyfriend abusing the boy in public. I am not sure what they did to step in but I am sure I would have something to say if I saw a friend's boyfriend treating a toddler like dirt.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

This 23-year-old with the mentality of a child will be tried and punished as an adult. His sorry mental state will obviously require serious medical treatment.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Will Japan need to reach situation like in movie Children of men to realize respect of life is civilization and only possible future ?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Poor kid.

Acceptance of such suffering is astonishing by the media.

My stomach will hurt after reading this article.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Why does the article say allegedly, twice ?

Sad and tragic .

Rest in peace.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Seems like torture. Wouldn't it take a long time to kill someone with hot shower water? It's not like these showers produce hot water so hot to kill people quickly.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

With a past history of abuse?

Beyond words …

5 ( +5 / -0 )

On the NHK midday news today they said the police found the shower set to 75 degrees. (Unless I misheard it and they were saying the maximum setting was 75 degrees.)

They also said the post mortem indicated this had happened repeatedly.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Death sentence!

5 ( +8 / -3 )

I am just wondering how many children have to die before these people who investigate abuse start to do their jobs....

5 ( +5 / -0 )

You can scald someone to death with hot water, but you can't burn someone to death with hot water.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Beyond being pedantic about language, I should post that the killing of the poor child is shocking and unimaginably cruel. What can society do with a person who would do such a thing to a little tyke?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

@ Japan Violet, 13:09 JST.

Being held forcibly under an extremely hot shower could cause shock resulting in heart failure even in a toddler, or perhaps especially in a toddler.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Vile.

Nothing will change with Social Services until the incompetent are fired. If they know that ignoring warnings will see them summarily dismissed they just might act and the deadwood will get cut out.

Never going to happen until the Japanese people demand accountability and competence.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

the boy's mother consulted the local government in Settsu about Matsubara allegedly abusing the child

Why is this man even in her house?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

A lot of information is missing here!!!

Heads up from the news:

2 times the nursery school contacted the local social authorities to report the act.

Friends of the mother contacted once (during a dinner, the boy was asking for help as good as he could (3 years old))

Neighbors contacted once.

Authorities did show up 2 times at home, to tell him to not do it... all he said: wakata (understood)

Result: After 4 horrible times that the authorities got contacted to help the little angel, and 2 show ups (for nothing) nothing... nothing properly done to safe it...

There is now a lot of anger in Osaka... especially from the person in charge of those cases!

sad...very sad!!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

he and the 3-year-old toddler were only "playing in a hot shower together."

No he was not. That is the lamest excuse ever. He had abused the boy before.... clearly he was not interested in "playing in the shower", good grief.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Death sentence

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I find that a strange comment. Nearly all houses and apartments have gas boilers usually located outside to provide on-demand hot water to the bathroom and kitchen. All have internal controllers.

I've literally never seen a hot water boiler in Japan. I'm not saying they don't exist, but in all the places I've lived in nearly 25 years, I've never had a hot water tank here. They've all been hot water on demand: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/tankless-or-demand-type-water-heaters

0 ( +1 / -1 )

There are still homes using wood burning to heat the water for the bath. You have to go outside and make a fire which heats the water in the bath.

Sure, and I've even been to old homes in Japan that still have a hole in the ground for a toilet.

But, I was speaking on the majority of apartments in Japan having hot water on demand:

I believe that in Japan, the majority of apartments have hot water on demand, and don't use boilers.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This man deserved death penalty if he was found to be guilty. He intentionally put very hot shower on his girl friend's child. It was very cruelled and distributing. I am very sorry for the boy. RIP.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

To prevent this from ever happening again, only tepid, lukewarm water should be available for the average home consumer.

Placing such limits on water temperatures will not only ensure safety, but reduce energy demands as much power is wasted heating water that ends up going down the drain.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Reading several news sources, it seems that he immobilized the toddler in some way and then went into the kitchen where he turned up the temperature on the gas water heater. On one social media platform he himself mentioned a 60 degrees setting, after which he went into the living room to smoke a cigaret(te). The skin of the little boy’s upper body was peeling away, but Matsubara had no burns anywhere.

Unimaginable, the possible depths of human cruelty.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Sweet Jumping JC

Before clicking this article open, I expected to read that local 'officials' (whatever that means) had been alerted but chose not to intervene.

They should return their salaries to Osaka's defrauded taxpayers.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Local officials were told by the mother's acquaintance that the boy will die if they don't do anything. Still they did nothing.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/810c291ff886143554ed9d733f05ff62c65d24cc

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Danielsan

To prevent this from ever happening again, only tepid, lukewarm water should be available for the average home consumer.

Are you suggesting that a sadistic creep like this "boyfriend" would not find another way to torture the kid in that case?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

In spite of many wanting to blame the local officials, it was still the mother that left her son alone with this guy. Even her friends have to be asking…what the heck was she thinking?!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Google the murderer's name; 松原拓海 (Takumi Matsubara) for his appearance. It's just like Kim Jong Un ...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This story makes my blood boil. Torturing a 3 year old to death is just another level of evil.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

only "playing in a hot shower together."

Some playing this is! This is nothing but outright assault and murder. And back in May this could've been avoided by arresting this scummy turd. RIP to the toddler who never truly got to live. Enjoy your stay in Heaven kid, you won't be suffering any more.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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