crime

No jail for parents who left daughters at home while they used COVID cash handout for hotel stay

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i can't believe the court let them keep the children

0 ( +0 / -0 )

BTW, who represented the children?

The court. The court's ultimate priority is the safety and security of the children.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

What in the world is going on? Do babysitters not exist in Japan or something?

Not really. Not like there are in western cultures. Grandparents will take care of the kids, and there are some services where you can hire a child-care worker to come over, but the culture of having neighborhood kids or someone like that watching your kids is pretty much non-existent.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

BTW, who represented the children?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

During their trial, the mother said they thought of using the cash handouts of 100,000 yen per person given to all residents in Japan to pay the hotel bill, because she was "tired from work and wanted to get away from child care at a messy home."

What in the world is going on? Do babysitters not exist in Japan or something?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Shogun,

the sentence was for 2 years imprisonment, but the imposition of the confinement is delayed ("suspended") for 4 years. During that time, they are on the equivalent of a "probation" in some Western countries. If they commit another offense in that 4-year period, they will be subjected to a hearing to unsuspend the 2 year sentence (in addition to facing a new trial for whatever the new offense was.) However, if they complete the 4-year suspended-sentence period successfully, then they are free and clear and face no further consequences for this crime.

Of course, even years from now, should they commit other offenses, they will be treated as recidivists and the formula-based sentencing system moves a column over on the judge's page where virtually all options are unsuspended periods of confinement.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

returned home several times to feed their daughters but not at all between July 15 and 20

Five days! The little kid is lucky to be alive. Somebody better keep an eye on these two morons.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The court system is a joke. Child-care/daycare is a joke. Way to go Japan!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The true "JAIL FREE" card. Authorities here are nothing but a joke! Suga-san, we counting on you...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I'm really worried for the kids. There are many instances that authorities allowed these children to be taken care by the irresponsible parents end up being dead. Hope it won't happen.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

No jail for parents who left daughters at home while they used COVID cash handout for hotel stay

> Mitsugu Yamamoto, 28, and his wife Kazuki, 24, charged with parental neglect, were sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four years. In his ruling, Judge Kanji Tomita at the Kagoshima District Court said, "It was a crime that posed a high risk to life,"

> Although prosecutors demanded a prison term of two years for the couple, the court permitted a suspension as the mother has expressed her intention to take care of the girls by heeding the advice of social workers and her own parent, he said.

Wait, so which is it? 2 years in prison and 4 years suspension (whatever that means) or NO jail time? I'm reading contradictions here.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

If I were doing that to you, would you not have me be sentenced to jail ? Doing that to kids is worse. QED or Bob's your uncle.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

At least the kids are still alive. I've read too many stories recently where this kind of neglect has led to heartbreaking deaths. Although I'm not too sure about the decision to leave the children with their parents, that is what has happened, so I hope for their sake the mother is sincere about changing.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Imagine a second as an adult left in an appartment for 5 full days wearing a diaper you cannot change and not enough water.

That was death penalty or a cruelty act.

There is strictly no reason to believe this nut couple will ever learned anything so obvious as "life". Like fire burns or water wets.

I don't understand people above thinking that staying with parents that can kill you / casue trauma anytime is better than any foster institute.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

There is nothing "motherly" about her lack of compassion. These stories should refer to her and others like her as the "female parent" and never as the mother. The girls having no health problems may not be true as no one was there to assess their mental health while they were abandoned...

2 ( +6 / -4 )

De let. My point is that people are desperate. This crime is a symptom. Expect more.

we need to provide social services ahead of this disaster.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you....the Japanese "justice" system in all its "splendour and glory"! See how it fails its children and gaze upon the reason why so many children fall through the cracks and end up like the 5 year old girl whose parents abused to death.

This joke of a ruling lets other parents know there is a chance that they can do something like this and get away with it.

Most appalling, I say!

8 ( +9 / -1 )

It does strikes me as very lenient sentence but I really hope the judge has good reasons for this, I would hate to see the kids again on the news.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Agree with most other posters, if the parents do something like this their children should be taken away from them forever and the parents should be jailed for life like in other countries

6 ( +7 / -1 )

@Spitfire - I am sure a life spent in care would be more beneficial in this case than being left with two total losers who likely to shorten your life significantly.

I have to disagree with this comment and the others like it. The mandate of family services is to keep the family together. The children would put into different facilities and would face prejudices for the rest of their lives. Fostering is very rare in Japan by comparison to other countries. These kids deserve to have their parents looking after them. It is also the mandate of family services to ensure the parents are educated and taught to be responsible parents. Sadly, family services in Japan are understaffed, undertrained and underpowered. We have seen too many failures of the family services system, but for every failure there are many successes, which we don’t hear about. The kids are already victims. Putting them into an orphanage is like putting them in prison for their parent’s irresponsibility. They deserve a chance to grow up with their parents.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

even animals take better care of their children than those couple...

I do see what you are trying to say, but animals are actually far more 'humane' than some humans are. We use words like 'beastial', 'animal' and such when we come across acts of cruelty by humans, but non-human animals do not have a knack or desire for deliberate cruelty, the way we do.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

3-year-old and 1-year-old girls alone at home for a week?

No good would have come from jailing them, but harsh punishment and closer supervision would have sufficed. Suspended sentence? That's a slap to kid's rights.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

even animals take better care of their children than those couple...

8 ( +8 / -0 )

 the mother has expressed her intention to take care of the girls

 the mother said they thought of using the cash handouts

The father got anything to say? Was he asked, or is his input not required?

7 ( +7 / -0 )

What an irresponsible mother and father. The JP govt should let the social services take over the children welfare in cases like this, and give the children up for adoption to some capable parents out there.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

If they've done it once, they'll do it again. Some people don't deserve children. Some people deserve sterilization.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Wow!

It stuns me to read this.

Hopefully, the parents will change but how to teach commonsense to people?

9 ( +9 / -0 )

These parents shouldn't see their kids again. Ever.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

What else could the judge do? Add them to the 40,000 institutionalised children in Japan who reportedly live in prison like conditions?

-6 ( +6 / -12 )

Of course a suspended sentence in the land of no responsibility.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

 No correct court would ever place children in the care of their parents when a perfectly good institution is available.

At least in an institution they would not be left alone for days without being fed while the staff vacationed

11 ( +12 / -1 )

That's correct. No correct court would ever place children in the care of their parents when a perfectly good institution is available.

Care of their parents? Only an idiot would think that

8 ( +10 / -2 )

I can't imagine leaving my 4 year old alone for a week while I vacation with the Mrs. ...

I mean I can understand wanting to take a break from childcare and a messy house, but to do it without making sure your children are being looked after is crazy.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

P. Smith

life in a facility is better than life with neglectful/abusive parents.

Agree with you 100 percent

9 ( +13 / -4 )

The very definition of a Kangaroo court

That's correct. No correct court would ever place children in the care of their parents when a perfectly good institution is available.

-11 ( +4 / -15 )

the court permitted a suspension as the mother has expressed her intention to take care of the girls by heeding the advice of social workers and her own parent, he said.

The very definition of a Kangaroo court

6 ( +10 / -4 )

It's moments like this that I favour bringing back corporal punishment.

If you impose gaol time upon them, the kids will suffer because their parents are locked up. (but not much different from what these people did to their kids already)

If you impose a fine upon them, then there will be less money for the kids for food, education or sports.

A few strokes of the cane however, that'd make parents like this think twice.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Your hyperbole aside, life in a facility is better than life with neglectful/abusive parents.

That is correct. There is no retribution for people. If you’ve ever done something wrong in your life, it is literally impossible to change and improve. No one has ever done it ever. Therefore, from the content of this article, we can all proclaim beyond all and any doubt that these children are better off in a facility than with their parents whom literally have the inability to change.

-9 ( +5 / -14 )

Maybe its time to establish legally applicable guidelines for leaving children of different ages unattended.

It is fanciful to say "never", because there is clear tolerance of it. It is the extreme cases of it like this that need to be discouraged and punished, not someone who jumps out of their car for two minutes to get money from an ATM.

With guidelines, it might also be easier to take children away from clearly incapable parents like this.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

@strangerland......as usual the contrarian.

I am sure a life spent in care would be more beneficial in this case than being left with two total losers who likely to shorten your life significantly.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

Life in a facility is always better than with their actual parents.

Anyone who leaves a baby and a 3 year old to fend for and feed themselves for 5 days is NOT a parent.

21 ( +23 / -2 )

I remember this. The 3year old was found walking the streets. Social workers better be on their backs big time or we’ll be reading about these cretinous pair again soon. Good luck girls!

17 ( +17 / -0 )

Everyone in this thread is correct. These people should have been imprisoned, ensuring their children have no parents to take care of them, putting the children into foster care. Life in a facility is always better than with their actual parents.

-12 ( +6 / -18 )

How on earth did the judge think a suspended sentence was appropriate?

17 ( +18 / -1 )

One can only hope they will be watched very closely for any other acts of parental neglect. It’s only luck that these two little kids are still alive.

16 ( +16 / -0 )

It just boggles the mind that anyone can leave a one and 3 year old for up to 5 days. The one year old would be wearing diapers/nappies....terrible.

16 ( +16 / -0 )

Currently, the two girls have no health problems, according to the couple's lawyer.

Taking their lawyer's word for it? Does he moonlight in developmental psychology?

17 ( +17 / -0 )

The justice system in Japan is pathetic! This is a disaster waiting to happen and sooner or later these parents will kill their daughters through their reckless behavior! The judge delivering this judgment should also be held accountable when that happens...

14 ( +16 / -2 )

Absolute scum of the earth. The poor kids should have been removed from these two pigs by the authorities. Im sure this is not the first time that they have neglected or abused these poor girls.

14 ( +20 / -6 )

"tired from work and wanted to get away from child care at a messy home."

Breathtaking. Between telework and distance learning we're all exhausted. Yeah, I'll bet her mother had some "advice" for her!

14 ( +15 / -1 )

You don't have any grandparents to help with the kids? Husband and wife. Both involved.

Even one day is not acceptable to leave children so young... You did it for more then a week? Some crazy stuff right there.

I'm glad the children are ok. This could have been a lot worse.

29 ( +34 / -5 )

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