2-year-old boy seriously injured after being hit by train in Aichi

Was he an orphan?

In my country, we never let the kids out of our eyes. Of course they are smart and sometimes manage to escape our vigilence but in Japan, I often see in supermarket, streets or festival kids wandering around without the parents paying attention to them. Once in a supermarket, a small kids was crying because he lost his mother. He was calling out loud while crying, noone helped him and after about 15 minutes, the mother arrived and said "Why are you crying?" ... I was shocked. Good there was no kidnappers ...

I hope the kid hit by the train will be fine.

Where were the parents?

Pretty intolerant comments here. Ever had kids? And if you have, never lost track of them for a few moments?

Looks like his older brother opened a door and he followed. Accidents DO happen

Kuristofu,

You're talking rubbish. For starters, I'm guessing that in your country kids sleep in their own rooms from birth (I know that's normal in my country). And what happens when the parent goes to the toilet in your country? Does he/she take the kid in with them? What happens when the parent is washing the dishes or loading the washing machine? Do they put the kid up on the sink/washing machine? Seriously, I think it's time for a reality check, mate.

"Pretty intolerant comments here. Ever had kids? And if you have, never lost track of them for a few moments? Looks like his older brother opened a door and he followed. Accidents DO happen"

Yes I do (4 year old boy) and no I have not. Accidents DO happen, that's true. But 11 years of living in Japan has shown me that the seem to happen A LOT more often - especially involving kids.

I see some foreigners who like to fully adopt the Japanese culture and assimilate in Japan have also adopted the lax parenting and easy excuses part.

Kuristofu - right on

Maff - rubbish

@JapanHusker

Then you are a Superman Sir and your wife is an extremely lucky woman. Congratulations!

That's why they are called the "terrible twos". One day they are crawling around on the floor and it takes them an hour to cross the room and the nest day, blink and they're gone.

What can I say? I like spending time with my kid - so sue me. Also note in the article:

"Police said the boy lived near the Mikawa line and had followed his older brother who had gone outside to play, "

Sounds to me that this is a normal thing in the household ==>pawn the little boy off on his brother to watch so mom (or dad) doesn't have to. Also, it would seem that this is the norm - the bro goes outside on his own to play. Bet it ain't the first time the tot followed him...

Incidentally, my son NEVER leaves our place on his own. He NEVER steps foot on the balcony by himself either. NEVER. Why? Diligent parenting mate.

Also note that some neighbors found the kid - not mom (or dad). So maybe mom (or dad) WAS loading the dishwasher or whatnot. How long does that take? 3 minutes at best. I do it all the time. Wouldn't you frantically search outside after that initial 10-second search of the house (cuz we all know just how big Japanese houses are). But, according to the article, doesn't seem as though mom (or dad) was anywhere to be found. Were they even at home?

I hope the kid is ok, feel especially sorry for the driver too

Young people in the U.S. drive at a younger age than Japan

'Accident' is the leading cause of death in the US in the 1-14 year-old age group. They are not drivers. For those aged 1-4, drowning causes more deaths than traffic accidents.

Accidents DO happen, that's true. But 11 years of living in Japan has shown me that the seem to happen A LOT more often - especially involving kids.

Media weighting.

Poor little boy. I hope he recovers. If he does, you can bet his parents will never let him out of their sight again.

Hope the kid is allright.

Who knows what "serious" injury means. There's a lot of jumping to conclusions over an official police report (void of any real detail) and a "eyewitness" who wasn't even quoted directly.

Lots of gaps in this story.

Totally agree with Kuristofu and JapanHusker. There’s such a lack of parental guidance in the society and public safety. But you are not going to change something that is embedded into the culture. I have seen on far too many occasions the mother riding a bike ahead of the preschooler not watching watch is going on behind her. In fact I saw an incident where the mother was a several feet ahead of her kid and the kid slid under a moving car and the mother continued around the corner, never seeing what happened. The classic is the parent who walks ahead of the child in the cross walk who has been walking all of two months and assume they are keeping the same pace and will not be distracted and stop and gaze at the car grill directly in their face. I can go on and on, but what's the point, someone here will justify why this is acceptable in this society.

I have two young kids and I agree it is nigh on impossible to watch them every second of the day, you just protect them as best you are able - like not allowing them into areas of obvious danger like the balcony as one poster quite rightly said. However - IMHO a common sense approach is needed here, and to my mind the fact that "the boy lived near the Mikawa line" is reason enough NOT to let him out unsupervised. Actually, scratch that - the fact that he is TWO YEARS OLD is reason enough not to let him out!

I can`t claim that in my country the parenting is any better than Japan but I am regularly shocked at some of the negligent attitudes towards young kids I see here all the time, and the number of kids I have rescued from the middle of the street / picked up in shopping centres missing their carers.

kirakira25:

"the fact that "the boy lived near the Mikawa line" is reason enough NOT to let him out unsupervised. Actually, scratch that - the fact that he is TWO YEARS OLD is reason enough not to let him out!...but I am regularly shocked at some of the negligent attitudes towards young kids I see here all the time, and the number of kids I have rescued from the middle of the street / picked up in shopping centres missing their carers."

Well said. Eleven years here and I still get infuriated when I see a potential tragedy or read about an unfortunate one.

JH

@techall

That's why they are called the "terrible twos". One day they are crawling around on the floor and it takes them an hour to cross the room and the nest day, blink and they're gone.

Fortunately some lucky kids have unemployed fathers like those dishing out judgements on others here who are around the home 24/7/365 and never lose track of what their toddlers are doing even for a few moments.

Do any young mothers contribute comments to this board?

Got to agree with Stats. It's a freak accident.

Since other posters are speculating here, for all we know, his parent(s) could be one of those types who are indeed at their kids side every moment but happened to be in the bathroom when the accident took place.

Poor little boy. I hope he recovers. If he does, you can bet his parents will never let him out of their sight again.

According to other sources, the boy appears to be conscious.

Statistician,

LOL! Sorry mate, I got a real job - in an office, completer with desk, chair, computer and internet. And besides, I don't do the one-finger peck typing. I can get on, type, and sign out in about 2-min flat. Leaves plenty of time for me to get my work done. I too, have to trust my wife during the day not to let my son run on railroad tracks or in the street. She does a good job at it too - since has the same feelings I do on this subject. And guess what - she's JAPANESE! Just not one with her head in the sand. Nice try though.

Seems to me that some foreigners here are really gulping the "Japanese Culture Kool-aid" by the liters. Great culture for the most part. That is why I have been here 11 years, married into it, and work in a Japanese company.

Moderator: Stay on topic please.

"Do any young mothers contribute comments to this board?"

Nah, their out at pachinko with their young J-guy husbands while the kids entertain themselves in the car; or home alone...

Do any young mothers contribute comments to this board?

I used to be a young mother.....

Toddlers are escape artists. Other than physically chaining them to you, it's virtually impossible to keep them totally accident-free. If all you come up against is little accidents (on the level of scraped knees and split lips), you're a very lucky parent.

"If all you come up against is little accidents (on the level of scraped knees and split lips), you're a very lucky parent."

HUH? So you are saying that those whose kids don't lose one of their limbs - much less - their lives are the LUCKY ones? Pity your children. Lazy excuses.

Don't waste your time pitying my kids. They did fine. They were expert escape artists, though, and during their toddler years were not allowed outside unless they were togged out in harness and lead, with a parent or grandparent attached. Just holding hands was not enough.

No one wants any child to suffer serious injury; but I pity your kids if they reach puberty without so much as a scraped knee - you mean you're never going to allow them to run in the park or school yard, never going to allow them to play chase-me or soccer? There's such a thing as over-protection.

:-)

Well, in all due respect, the article IS about a TWO-YEAR-OLD. In addition, my son is a four. A much different story then pre-pubescent eight-year-olds.

Of course I'll let him run and take his chances with fate, the brains God gave him, and my and my wife's teachings/discipline in mind.

But he is four, and I do not let him out of my sight in any kind of precarious situations. Not when shopping, not when near a busy or dangerous-type road, and certainly not if I lived near a train line.

As the father of a 10 year old daughter, and yes I am at work right now, at 2 kids are fast and able to escape under the most watchful of eyes. The phone rings - you answer it, then when you hang up - Where's the crumb snatcher? A delivery at the door, you accept it - Where's the kiddo? You can't be everywhere at once. Accidents can and do happen.

That said, the fmaily does live on a train line and it is one of the busiest here in Nagoya. The parents need to be even more watchful for this reason. The buggest problem is the Meitetsu tracks are not fenced in like the JR tracks and are not elevated above road crossings. The kid is alive and perhaps learned a lesson repeatedly taught by his parents look both ways and wait for the gates to go up before crossing. I'm sure he'll be extra careful in the future, if not then he goes the way of others in history who refuse to learn from experience.

@JapanHusker 11;25

no I have not {ever lost track of my child for a few moments}

)

@JapanHusker 4:06

I too, have to trust my wife during the day not to let my son run on railroad tracks

So your first statement was not true. In fact by your own admission you lose track of your child's activities for the whole of the working day

I rest my case. Try some compassion in future please.

Statistician:

That was feeble.

"Try some compassion in future please."

I do, for all the neglected children that end up hurt or dead here.

the point is you should take precautionary measures when you live near a rail line.been it an adult or toddler,the mother just didnt do that.wish the boy well

Cleo, you are right on the point. My little boy is now 3 Years and 9 month, so he is past the age of "terrible 2". We had our share of slightly dangerous situations with him. Now he has learned and under normal situations in the home it is no longer necessary to always watch him.

However his little sister, now 1 year and 4 months seems to have learned a lot from him. She likes to touch buttons, throw things to the ground, grab everything from the table, runs with things in her mouth and so on. And, yes, at her young age, she is also an escape artist. She manages to climb out of her baby feeding chair, or out of her baby bed. And she understands to move steps or chairs to use them for climbing to higher positions.

We can not ask our boy to take care of his younger sister - she is smart enough to trick him, for example taking away his orange juice or sweets or toys. However, if she does something which she should not (like switching off the room heater or the TV), he tries to stop her, or he calls for us, his parents for help.

And, yes, we have double locks at the doors. It helps.

Maff, In fact, in my family, if you're alone with your 2 years-old kid, yes, you go to the bathroom with him/her. When you wash your clothes, the kid might not be on the washing machine but at least near the parent who can see what the kid is doing.

The kid was hit by a train and he's still alive... I sincerely hope he recovers enough to lead a happy and productive life.