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Parents of Japanese boy left in forest won’t face criminal charges Japanese boy who spent six days in forest leaves hospital
(about 5 hours later)
The parents who abandoned their seven-year-old son in a Japanese forest as a punishment will not face charges, police have said. A seven-year-old boy who survived for nearly a week after being abandoned by his parents in a forest has left hospital, capping a 10-day drama that captivated Japan and sparked a national conversation about child discipline.
Yamato Tanooka survived for six nights alone after his mother and father left him on a mountain road in the woods of Hokkaido. Wearing a black baseball cap, Yamato Tanooka stopped to smile and wave to journalists and onlookers as he emerged from Hakodate municipal hospital on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Related: Japanese boy left in forest forgives father In a scene broadcast on national television, he surveyed the crowd as he waved with one hand and held a baseball crafted out of paper that appeared to carry written messages of support with the other.
Many in Japan were angry at the couple, who said they had forced their son out of the car to teach him a lesson for throwing stones. The couple left Yamato by the side of the road and when they returned shortly later to pick him up, he had disappeared. Asked by a journalist whether he was looking forward to returning to school, he replied enthusiastically: “I want to go!” After a few minutes his father ushered him into a van and they drove off.
They had originally told police Yamato got lost while on a family outing, but later admitted they lied because they feared social censure. The boy survived for six nights alone after his parents left him on a mountain road in bear-inhabited woods on 28 May as punishment for misbehaving.
“We plan not to regard it as a criminal case,” a Hokkaido police spokesman said, indicating it would be referred to social services. Many in Japan were angry at the couple, who said they had forced their son out of the car to teach him a lesson after he had thrown stones at cars and people. They originally told police that he got lost while on a family outing, but later admitted they had lied because they feared social censure.
Toru Numata, a lawyer who handles abuse and domestic violence cases, said: “Considering the factors behind the case, the chances of making it a prosecutable one are extremely slim.” The case sparked debate in Japan about discipline, with some voices calling for understanding of parental frustration in making children behave, though most condemning the parents’ actions.
Numata said that the focus is likely to shift to the boy’s mental care, focusing on possible trauma from the ordeal. Police said on Tuesday the parents would not face charges. “We plan not to regard it as a criminal case,” a Hokkaido police spokesman said, indicating that it would be referred to social services.
Rescue workers and soldiers spent days scouring the mountainous forest – where bears are known to roam – after Yamato went missing on 28 May. The father, 44-year-old Takayuki Tanooka, said on Monday that he had apologised to his son and that the boy had forgiven him.
He was finally discovered last Friday by a soldier, sheltering in a hut on a military drill field around five kilometres (three miles) from where he was abandoned. Rescue workers and soldiers spent days scouring the mountainous forest after Yamato went missing. He was discovered on Friday sheltering in a hut on a military drill field around three miles from where he was abandoned.
The boy was found to be suffering from mild dehydration and was sent to hospital. He is expected to be discharged later Tuesday. The boy was suffering from mild dehydration and was sent to hospital. On Monday, police questioned him for about an hour in hospital accompanied by his mother and doctors, the Tokyo Shimbun reported.
On Monday, police questioned him for about an hour in hospital, accompanied by his mother and doctors, the Tokyo Shimbun said. He was quoted by the daily as telling police: “I walked alone and met no one.” He said he had stopped occasionally to rest, and had arrived at the hut in the dark. Yamato kept himself warm at night by sleeping between two mattresses, and drank water from an outside tap, but he had nothing solid to eat.
He was quoted by the daily as telling police: “I walked alone and met no one”, adding that he sometimes stopped to rest and arrived at the hut in the dark. After being found Yamato was lauded on social media for his endurance, with some even suggesting that the survival skills he had exhibited could make him a future candidate for Japan’s military.