News On Japan

Mother gets 8 years in prison for leaving 3-year-old daughter alone at home for week to die

Feb 11 (Japan Today) - The Tokyo District Court has sentenced a 26-year-old woman to eight years in prison for parental neglect resulting in the death of her three-year-old daughter by leaving her at home alone for a week in 2020.

The court on Thursday handed down its ruling against Saki Kakehashi, Fuji TV reported. Kakehashi had pleaded guilty.

The court heard that she left tea and sweets for her daughter Noa at their apartment in Ota Ward while she went to Kagoshima for one week to spend time with her then boyfriend. She said she thought Noa would be alright.

Kakehashi made an emergency call upon her return from the trip on June 13, 2020, claiming Noa was not breathing, Kyodo News reported. Noa was taken to hospital where she died from dehydration and hunger. Her stomach was almost empty.

Doctors also found a rash on her bottom as her diaper had apparently been unchanged for a long time. Prosecutors claim Kakehashi tried to hide the fact that Noa had been left alone by applying ointment to a rash on her bottom and changing her into a fresh diaper just before she called 119, Kyodo reported. ...continue reading

Source: テレ東BIZ

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A suspicious object feared to be explosive was discovered at a high school in Sapporo on the afternoon of November 22nd, causing temporary chaos. The object was found to have been brought to the school by one of its students.

China says it will resume allowing visa-free visits by Japanese nationals on short-term trips from the end of this month. (NHK)

Japan is facing a deepening crisis of poverty and inequality, with rising reports of 'invisible homeless' individuals and growing economic hardships among the population. Discussions over reforms to the country's tax and welfare systems have taken center stage, as policymakers grapple with how to provide meaningful support.

A special lighting ceremony was held on November 20th at Ueno Toshogu Shrine, located in Ueno Park, Taito Ward, Tokyo. The event featured a unique lighting design created by renowned lighting designer Motoko Ishii.

A Japanese pharmaceutical company has announced the successful commercialization of fiber made from silk produced by bagworms.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A man with a distinctive snake-like tattoo on his face has been arrested for shoplifting and assaulting a convenience store employee in Tokyo. The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Masakatsu Echizenya, is accused of stealing items from a store around noon on November 15th and violently attacking the employee who confronted him.

Hifumi Kato, affectionately known as 'Hifumin,' has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records for the longest-running chess puzzle column in a magazine.

A male caretaker at Tennoji Zoo in Osaka has been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of stealing vegetables and fruits used as monkey feed.

The operator of a strip theater in Osaka's Tenma district, advertised as "Western Japan's largest," has been arrested alongside nine others for exposing dancers' lower bodies to customers, police announced.

Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine in Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture, has begun producing traditional calligraphy artwork for next year’s New Year celebrations.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested five people on suspicion of violating Japan's Employment Security Act. They are believed to have run a nationwide operation to recruit women via social media to work in the sex industry. (NHK)

A human hand was discovered protruding from the ground at a cemetery in Nara City on November 18th, around 1:30 p.m.

Tanikawa Shuntaro -- a renowned Japanese poet who used his keen sense of observation in creating a vast body of work -- has died of old age. He was 92. (NHK)