- Osaka child abandonment case
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The Osaka child abandonment case was a case of child abandonment involving two abandoned children in Osaka, Japan. It occurred in late June 2010 when Sanae Shimomura, a 23-year-old Japanese single mother in Osaka, sealed the door of her apartment shut, abandoning 3-year-old daughter Sakurako Hagi and 1-year-old son Kaede Hagi inside. Neighbors heard the children crying over many weeks until it suddenly subsided, but didn't think anything more of this than simply children in a bad childhood phase. Since Shimomura did not come to work for several days, a colleague went to her place and noticed a strange smell beyond the door. When the police entered the apartment, they found the two children dead.[1] Social workers had attempted to stop by the apartment several times over the course of the children's confinement, but never found anyone home. The apartment was in a lively, populated area, but nobody knew that the children were confined.
Shimamura was arrested on 30 July 2010.[1] She was reported to have wanted free time for herself and was quoted as saying that she had grown "tired of feeding and bathing" her two children on her own.[1]
See also
- Rie Fujii, concerning a very similar incident involving two children abandoned in an apartment in Calgary, Canada.
- Sugamo child abandonment case, a similar incident that took place in a neighborhood near Tokyo, Japan.
- Coin-operated-locker babies
- Baby hatches
- Child abandonment
References
- "Mom: no remorse for kids' deaths". The Japan Times (Japan: The Japan Times Ltd.). 1 August 2010. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100801a8.html. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- "Mother of 2 kids who were found decomposed called friend for advice". The Mainichi Daily News (Japan: The Mainichi Daily Newspapers). 1 August 2010. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20100802p2a00m0na005000c.html. Retrieved 9 August 2010.[dead link]
- "Neighbor reported children's cries". Asahi Shimbun (Japan). http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201008010216.html. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^ a b c "Mom held after children found 'starved to death' in Osaka flat". The Japan Times (Japan: The Japan Times Ltd.). 31 July 2010. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100731a3.html. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
Categories:- 2010 in Japan
- Child abandonment
- Child abuse resulting in death
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