Police in Kagoshima said Friday they have arrested a 28-year-old unemployed man and his 24-year-old wife on suspicion of parental neglect after they left their two daughters, aged 3 and 1, in their apartment for 11 days.
According to police, the couple, Mitsugi Yamamoto and his wife Kazuki, who is a temp worker, have admitted to the charge, Sankei Shimbun reported. They were quoted as saying they stayed in a business hotel for 11 days because they wanted to spend some time together.
Police said the children were left at home between July 11 and July 21. The parents went back on several occasions to feed them and then returned to the hotel.
On the night of July 21, the 3-year-old was seen wandering by herself on the street near the apartment. A passerby notified police and she was taken into protective custody. Three hours later, police went to the apartment and found the girl’s younger sister.
Police said both children were taken to hospital for a check-up and do not have any life-threatening injuries.
© Japan Today
37 Comments
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darkaura
I said it before and I'll say it again. My heart longs to have children of my own. I would treat them so kindly and spoil them a little. But they would learn the value of things. And then you have stories like these. I don't understand how people can leave precious things like these children alone. Yes, they are work. They are suppose to be. They are young they depend on people who should know better.
sir_bentley28
This ridiculous! My wife and I would go to my game room and just relax or talk about whatever we want if we want alone time while my son is watching his favorite tv show or dvd IN THE SAME HOUSE! Leave him alone at home for 11 days? Unmentionable! Leave him alone at home for 30 mins? Never would happen! He's 5 and I can NEVER even think of that!
Nippori Nick
Several occasions in 11 days? What does that really mean? 5 times? 10 times? It is atrocious and pathetic parenting. You cannot leave a one year old in a nappie/diaper for the whole day. They need regular changing.
Zaphod
Nippori Nick
The article says "The parents went back on several occasions to feed them", so can assume they also changed nappies at the time. The headline is a little misleading... this is not like the case recently where a woman left her toddler completely alone for 8 days.
Nippori Nick
What? Did those kids just sit there in soiled clothes for days on end?
timeon
Mark, they do a wonderful job teaching during the 5 days in hospital. This is just crazy, sefish people who unfortunately procreated
ClippetyClop
They'll be spending more than 11 days in a different kind of state run 'business hotel' in the near future I fear.
Beyond reckless and cruel.
Mark
I think it is time for Japan to start having educational courses for these young parents on how to raise a child.
Mark
Did't I read just few days ago about a 3 years girl dying alone after 11 days in the apartment while the mother was visiting her boyfriend, What the hell is going on with these people !??? is this a trend in Japan now???
i@n
Horrified as I am I still can't help but marvel at the abilities of these two to compartmentalize and filter out the thoughts of their kids.
I mean they have themselves as constant reminder all that time of the kids left by themselves in the house.
Probably they are aware all the time but just don't care.
cleo
Two ‘people’ whose tubes need to be tied.
Round their necks
Zaphod
name28
what???
Zaphod
OK, so it was not 11 days (in which case it would have been murder). Not an excuse of course, but this is not on the same level as that woman the other day who locked in her daughter for 8 days to starve to death.
serendipitous1
Let's hope their 11-day 'time together' doesn't result in a third unlucky child being born.
carp_boya
The 3-year-old is an absolute hero for surviving this and keeping her little sister alive.
The parents, on her other hand, are absolutely despicable. Lock ‘em up and throw away the key!
bass4funk
Glad I wasn’t spoiled and my kids as well. I don’t get these kids nowadays. Smh....
Name28
What is wrong with that people? I cannot leave my 18 years old daughter alone for more than a day! Not to mention my 34 years old son.
Vanessa Carlisle
I really don't get it. I bet every second door you knock on would glean a willing babysitter, even if the people in that house simply knew a willing friend.
Vince Black
These kids, any kids, deserve better parents than those two scumbags.
But now thankfully they have been named and shamed. Their faces on the news and media. They’re going to have a tough time in life from now. And they deserve every minute of it.
Yasuragi
They went back on several occasions...a day? Or over the course a week and a half? Were these poor sweeties sitting in dirty diapers for hours or days at a time? What if the baby spit up and aspirated all alone?
Surely the money needed to pay for 11 days in a hotel could be better spent on a babysitting service.
"Wanted to spend time together." Pfft. Doing what? In America I'd assume a meth bender. What do Japanese people bend on?
miss_oikawa
Scum of the earth. Rot in hell.
Whatsnext
I don't get it. I really don't.
Kobe White Bar Owner
I’ve volunteered in orphanages here and hearing the little ones crying for their moms when it’s sleep time is heart breaking. If you don’t think you can raise a child keep it in ya pants or use protection, animals.
Luddite
These children should be permanently removed form these appalling people.
ArtistAtLarge
Some people really are not fit to be parents.
Jimizo
I was so lucky. My mum’s a gem and so was my dad.
These poor kids drew the short straw.
Fighto!
Lock these two child abusers away for many years. Pure, disgusting evil. Ban the animals from any future contact with the little kids. I just hope the poor girls are OK.
gogogo
If you dont want kids give them to me.... this is BS parenting!
Bugle Boy of Company B
There are so many options to "spend time alone" without leaving your kids by themselves!!!
Silvafan
The police probably took the child to the same spot where they found her and asked her to lead them to their place. It also meant that the door was unlocked. What if the one-year got out too?
I have no doubt that the 3-year old went outside looking for their parents after the last visit.
Mickelicious
Speechless.
Silvafan
This is obviously not a recent phenomenon. Japan wonders why this is happening now? Well, look at the TV shows showing 3 years old walking long distances to the store by themselves to run errands for their parents. Then after returning the parents are crying and proud of their children.
These young irresponsible parents with no support systems see this on TV and believe if the kids can do that then they can wash, feed and watch themselves too!
Do the hustle
Parents arrested after leaving daughters, aged 3 and 1, at home alone for 11 days
That are not parents! What kind of life is set for these kids? To be placed into an orphanage or to be neglected by these two selfish idiots?
Bart Fargo
Wow. I'm not one to judge parents. I'm not a particularly good parent myself, but 11 hours seems like an atrocity. 11 days is unfathomable for me.
Fuzzy
Sickos. Get those kids out of there and throw those losers in the slammer.
HAMBURGER
Horrific. Inexcusable. Unforgivable.