18 hours ago ...Boy abandoned in Japanese forest by parents found alive ... in a forest by his parents and was found alive day later, reacts as he speaks to the ...
6 hours ago ... CBS NewsTOKYO -- Nearly a week after he was abandoned in the forest by his parents, the boy did not shed a tear when he was found safe ...
How boy abandoned in forest reacted when he was found. Local News. 10 mins ago. 7-year-old Japanese boy was abandoned in a forest ridden with bears by ...
TOKYO -- Nearly a week after he was abandoned in the forest by his parents, the boy did not shed a tear when he was found safe Friday.
The soldier who discovered him by chance in a military hut gave him two
rice balls, which 7-year-old Yamato Tanooka ate ravenously. He looked a
bit worn out but was "genki," the military said, using a Japanese word
describing healthy children.
The boy's safe return was welcomed in a nation riveted by his disappearance and undergoing intense soul-searching about how it raises and disciplines its children.
Yamato's story, as pieced together from comments from the military and police, was admirable in resourcefulness and resilience.
His parents, trying to teach him a lesson for misbehaving and
throwing rocks, made him get out of the car last Saturday on the
northernmost main island of Hokkaido in a forest reputedly ridden with
bears. They couldn't find him when they returned several minutes later.
Takayuki
Tanooka, father of 7-year-old boy Yamato Tanooka who went missing on
May 28, 2016 after being left behind by his parents, was found alive,
reacts as he speaks to the media in Hakodate on the northernmost
Japanese main island of Hokkaido, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo on
June 3, 2016.
REUTERS
Apparently
walking for several kilometers, the boy found the empty hut in a
military drill area and entered a door that had been left open. The
longhouse-style hut had no heat or power and no food, but Yamato huddled
between mattresses on the floor and drank water from the solitary
faucet outside the hut for several days, local media reported. CBSN anchor Reena Ninan reports that the boy was hospitalized with mild dehydration and hypothermia.
A
massive manhunt, including 180 people and search dogs, had found no
trace of him. The soldier who found him had not been part of the
frenzied search effort, but soon the boy identified himself as Yamato
Tanooka .
Appearing outside the hospital where the boy was flown
in by helicopter, his father apologized, bowing deeply, thanked everyone
for the rescue and vowed to do a better job as his dad.
"We have
raised him with love all along," said the father, Takayuki Tanooka,
fighting tears. "I really didn't think it would come to that. We went
too far."
Military officials expressed admiration for the boy's
perseverance, as the building where he was found was far from where he
had disappeared and involved a rigorous uphill climb.
The boy had
minor scratches on his arms and feet, but no serious health risks were
found, a doctor who examined him said on nationally televised news.
Although
going without water is dangerous even for a few days, people can
survive longer without food, such as people who have fasted or gone on
hunger strikes for a few weeks. While experts say a water-only diet for
so long must have been painful, they boy apparently stayed at the hut
for much of the time. More details on his experience were not
immediately available.
Asked what he had told his son after he was found, the father said, "I told him I was so sorry for causing him such pain."
The
nation welcomed the boy's safe return. Old photos of Yamato, wearing a
cowboy hat here, holding up two fingers in a peace sign there, his bangs
falling over a proud smile, were flashed across again and again on TV.
Daijiro
Hashimoto, a former governor appearing on a talk show on TV Asahi,
wondered how the boy had endured the loneliness, especially at night,
and suggested that perhaps he had imagined he was on some adventure and
was hiding in a secret camp.
"He had to keep a very positive
attitude," Hashimoto said, reflecting widespread sentiment here. "He is
fantastic. He didn't know how long it might take, and when he would ever
be saved."
The boy's disappearance and the debate set off by the
parents' decision resonated in an aging nation with a dearth of
children, where child-raising is expensive and often requires financial
sacrifice. Japanese culture also is not seen as promoting individual
rights of children, but rather to view children almost as family
property. Abandonment and child abuse are far more common in Japan than
the stereotype of the doting parent and stay-at-home mom would suggest.
Yamato's parents are not officially under any police investigation for their actions.
Mitsuko
Tateishi, an educator who has written a book urging mothers to take it
easy, says many parents are isolated in Japan, get competitive in
wanting their children to perform, and need advice especially from more
experienced parents.
"The punishment this parent chose is
unthinkable. They have no idea how to raise a child. They did not try to
explain what was right and wrong," she said in a telephone interview.
"A child is not a dog or a cat. You have to treat the child like a human
individual."
Tateishi said Japan remains behind the West in
protecting children, and she doubts any concrete action would be taken
against these parents.
Still, a child welfare expert said
abandonment of a child should be treated seriously. Tamae Arai, who
heads a Tokyo ward's family support operations, said though she does not
know the specifics of this case an investigation would be likely in a
similar case to ensure a child is protected.
"Beating and kicking
are not the only forms of child abuse. There is also neglect. Of course,
we are all thrilled he was found, but it is important to note that
there could be a serious problem here," she said.
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