3-year-old girl starves to death after mother leaves country
GUNMA —
A 3-year-old girl apparently died of starvation in Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, after being left in the care of her 14-year-old sister while their mother was out of the country, police said Thursday.
According to police, the children were left alone with food and spending money by their mother, while she went home for a visit to the Philippines on Feb 9. TBS reported that police received an emergency call from the woman’s 14-year-old daughter at about 7 p.m. on Feb 18, saying that her younger sister had collapsed. Emergency workers rushed to the scene where the child was confirmed dead.
Police say there were no obvious signs of injury, but that they suspect the girl may have starved to death. Investigators say they are planning to question the girl’s mother when she returns to Japan and said she may faces a charge of abandonment leading to death. The single mother, who is 37, lived with her two daughters.
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5
sillygirl
OMG
14
Mirai Hayashi
Dumb dumb dumb! Poor kids! The 14 year old is going to feel guilt for the rest for her life because of her mother's selfishness.
6
pumpkin31526
Unbelievable.
-8
hereforever
Sad! Too too sad! I would however like to know why she went. Was it for pleasure or another one of those forced business trips? Would like to know more details. Just the thought of those two little ones at home starving to death, waiting for mommy to come home. Just too sad. R.I.P. little ones. May your mommy burn in ...... Would those working in the government PLEASE get of your ..... and do your job! Too many children die due to neglect and violence by parents.
8
Mirai Hayashi
@hereforever
Seems that the answer is very clear. She went home to visit implies that she was going home for pleasure. However, the reasoning is irrelevant. You do not leave unsupervised minors alone for a long period of time ESPECIALLY to leave the country. At the VERY least she should have had a neighbor or a friend check in on them on a daily basis to make sure they were alright.
6
ChibaChick
So she left on Feb 9th - nearly two weeks ago - and hasnt yet returned, leaving a 3 year old in the care of a 14 year old - who should have been in school all during that time.
Yeah, real gem of a parent this one. I wonder if she IS coming back at all.
1
hereforever
Sorry Mirai, I guess I am so disgusted with the whole thing, that, that part didn't sink in.
4
Saulo Akazawa
Heartbreaking!!! I hope criminal charges will follow!!! What a horrible death to a innocent little one!!! And the psychological trauma the 14 year old will carry, they both could have died. Complete disregard for a human life.
2
Matthew Simon
Yet another sad example of parenting or lack there of. That woman should be charged with quite a few things when they, if they get her.
1
Yubaru
Implications aside, one can not ASSUME that it was for pleasure. She may just have very well abandoned them, no MOTHER would leave a three year old child home in the care of a 14 year old sibling.
A mother would look out for her children and take care of them. For whatever reason this woman does not deserve to be called a MOTHER.
I hope the cops and proper authorities find her and punish her accordingly.
28
Maria
I am shocked that a 14-year-old knows how to feed herself, but doesn't know how to feed her sister.
That the mother left her children unattended is dreadful - that she didn't ask anyone of her friends to pop in is very surprising. Was her trip a secret?
3
mayabe
What a hell mothers thinking living her 3 years old.. tsk! Tsk! Tsk!
0
Okinawamike
Are we sure there was any food left in the house? The 14 year old may have done everything she could and been hours or days away from starving herself.
4
LiveInTokyo
You need qualifications and years of study to be a doctor, a lawyer or for practically any job of importance. However, in just a couple of minutes anyone can become a parent. It's a pity there is no pill we can take to give ourselves common sense.
25
doombird
In additon to Mom's negligence, there's another thing that really bothers me about this story that I'd like to bring up:
How could a 14 year old possibly let her 3 year old little sister starve to death? Is that a complete lack of education or a complete lack of compassion? They were left with food. A 3-year-old would be able to communicate that she's hungry. Regardless of this being unquestionably irresponsible of their mother, a 14-year-old while still a child is far from helpless, and should have been able to at least provide minimal care for her sister. Enough to keep her alive.
Even in a really awful situation like this, I just do not understand how the toddler could get to that point - I just can't wrap my mind around it. Not too long ago, kids of 13 or 14 were paid to babysit younger children, toddlers, even babies. Unless there is something else going on here, behind the assertion that they "suspect she may have starved to death," it's heartbreaking to me that a 14-year-old should be so unprepared for an emergency situation.
23
Speed
Aside from the mother's negligence, why didn't the 14 year old feed the 3 year old? She had money and food. A 14 year old is quite capable of feeding a toddler. Did they run out of money? Does anyone know the specifics?
2
doombird
Okinawamike, that's a good point - the article says that she left food and spending money, but also that over a week passed. From the information given there's no way to know, of course. All we commenters can do is speculate and conclude.
-3
Injya
It is a very sad story all around! I imagine that this one starts with a Filipina coming to Japan to work. She ends up with children, living basically alone in an environment which is often NOT gaijin friendly, becomes homesick but doesn't have money to take the whole family and it ends up like this. The mother thinks that she can get away from the stress of Japan and does so.
A fourteen year old should be able to provide basic care to a three-year-old. But the the little girl may have been ill or any number of things could have happened to cause the childs death.
Isn't the real proplem one of imigration policy which allows the disgusting recruitment of foreign women to work here? Think of all the sad stories: Lucie Blackman; Lindsay Ann Hawker and who know how many others like this little girl who are colateral damage. It would be nice if Japan had some kind of safety net for women in the position of the mother in this story but it probably doesn't.
The entire story is not yet known and it may never be. I hope optimistically that some sort of close-to-happy ending results. All we can do is to try to be kind to everyone that we possibly can, especially gaijin whose lives have lots of stressors.
Injya
14
Mirai Hayashi
I think you're making too many assumptions here about her immigration status. It could be that she was married to a Japanese man at one point and has been living in Japan for a long period of time, to the point where it would be difficult to uproot her kids and life and move back.
The REAL problem isn't the government or immigration laws, but simply a very poor decision made by this mother to leave her kids home alone without any care or adult supervision. At 14, the daughter most like has her own responsibilities (school, etc.). Its not easy caring for a three year old. I wonder what the 14 year old did when she went to school. Did she leave the 3 year old home by herself? Obviously she wasn't put into any kind of school or day care, otherwise she wouldn't have died of starvation.
Too many holes in this story to really judges, but one thin is very certain and that is the mother is negligent and should have never left these kids alone.
2
falseflagsteve
I prefer to hear all the facts before speculating on the mother's trip or any other parts of the story. This is a tragedy that no doubt will feed some peoples agendas for the day,
0
ratpack
This is so sad on so many scales. The 3 year old wouldn't have understood the situation. She would have been looking for her mother and wondering where on earth she had gone. The 14 year old was way too young to be left with the responsibility of looking after a 3 year old. The mother....you don't deserve to have children. I truely hope they punish you very very harshly. Your 14 year old daughter has the sad memory of blaming herself for the death of her 3 year old younger sister. RIP little one. I hope you are surrounded by people who love and care for you in heaven.
17
Mirai Hayashi
BTW JT
Asahi Shinbun and Nikkei Shinbun are reporting that the 3 year old looked to been sick. Some other fact I've found:
-Older daughter had skipped school on the 12th - 14th due to illness. -Her homeroom teacher had visited the girls' apartment on the 14th and the 18th but didn't see the 3 year old in the house. -The mother went to the Philippines to visit her family. - Because of the mother's financial problems, the daughters were put into a child welfare facility in 2009. The children starting living with their mother again from April of last year. -The older daughter was given very little money to live on why the mother was away...
-1
tmarie
Speaks volumes about how woefully unprepared folks are here when it comes to kids. Yes, the mom is an idiot who should be arrested for child abuse and abandoning a child but how on earth do you end up raising a 14 year old who doesn't know that a three year old needs to be fed?! Mom left money. Sorry but the 14 year old also needs to take some responsibility for their part in this. 14 is old enough to look after a kid from time to time - such as babysitting. To not feed a three year old is just abuse. I babysat at 14. Japan used to marry off their daughters at 14. I think there is more to this story. But yes, mom is the worst here but I have to question the 14 year old as well. Folks here have zero clue about childcare as they don't learn anything about childcare in school. Why not?! I had childcare studies in JHS. Parents here certainly need some education before baby comes. They aren't dolls. They're hard work.
5
Athletes
14 years old is old enough to be employed in Macdonald or super markets. Her older sister is partly responsible for her death too. Why not she approach the neighbors or police if the food is running out? Japan is not Congo or Zimbawe for let the kids to die with starvation.
4
Octagon
In Japan, 12, 13 or 14 yrs old have civic duties to hold the hands of youngester hands for crossing the road. Caring the kids for their safety until arriving schools or home. Although they are not relative with kids, they enjoyed their unpaid caring service.
5
Aholl
Idiots are born every second but the tragedy is when they have babies themselves.
2
Joselito Asi
What an unfortunate incident to happen.
8
Mirai Hayashi
@tmarie @Athletes
All kids are different, but from experience, 3 year olds can be very difficult to look after especially if you're sick or if the child is sick. Babysitting and looking after a small child full time are VERY different experiences. A 14 year old may be able to babysit for a night or two, but to take care of a small (possibly sick) child full time for several days or weeks is whole different ball of wax.
She needs to cook, clean, bathe, go grocery shopping, and give full attention to the child, while juggling her school work ...all on a limited budget, while their mother takes a little jolly off to her home county. This is way too much responsibility to force on a teenager, especially f she has never done it before....Sorry but this is negligence, its abusive, and cruelty on the mother's part. You cannot blame the 14 year old. Its not her responsibility raise her sister.
Really sickening and sad...
2
Yubaru
Not in Japan they aren't.
You are basing this opinion only on the article in question here I presume? If that's the case then it's possible to mybe understand your opinion, however if you have never been to Japan it's easy to understand why a child may not do what you are suggesting here.
THere is MUCH more to this story then what is written here.
2
WilliB
Something is wrong in the story. A 14 year old girl should be easily able to take care of a 3 year old, and she did have food and money. I doubt the kid died of starvation; I rather suspect there was a medical problem that was missed.
-10
tmarie
Mirai, no one is saying looking after a three year is easy. Looking after kids when sick isn't easy. Looking after kids for continuous days isn't easy but guess what? That what goes into having kids and goes into having brothers and sisters. Indeed, mom is the main person at fault here but if mom raised a 14 year old who is unable to care for a younger sibling, mom failed as a parent and society failed at teaching this 14 responsibility and common sense. It takes days to starve someone which means this 14 year old looked after herself and not the three year old. If this 14 year old couldn't deal with it, why didn't she call someone for help?! Why did she/he hide the child from the teacher who came to visit?! If the child was sick, why not go to the hospital?! At 14 one should know to do these things.
I know I'm blaming this 14 year old when I should be blaming everyone but her/him but I don't get how at 14 you could be so clueless and immature. 14 is not 8. 14 year old should have more of a clue but many don't here because they aren't taught to be mature nor responsible. And you know what happens? These people get older, have kids and don't have a clue about looking after them. I see it all the damn time here. Kids are not pets, they aren't dolls, they aren't toys. Clearly the school system needs to step up in this because the parents here aren't teaching their kids to be responsible. Another dead kid because Japan is so incredibly screwed up when it comes to child welfare and education.
-2
megosaa
any mother will know that a 3yo needs to be forced fed since they have likes and dislikes, like literally put food into their mouths! how would a 14yo know how to do that??! this is so depressing that i am saying the f word >:(
-4
JA_Cruise
ah, what were you thinking? although I do put some of the blame on the 13 yr old.
-5
tmarie
Yubaru, 14 year olds can work here. 13 is the minimum age. Just because it isn't common for kids to have PT jobs doesn't mean it's illegal.
Schools and parebts not allowing kuds to work pt is another debate for another time but also goes into the lack of responsibility box for me.
4
RJS PRESSROOM
Animals are better than such Mother !!! She should be charged.
2
JoeBigs
That mother should not be allowed near the remaining child ever again.
She should be doing time for this, sick sick sick.
1
Disillusioned
Ah, there are plenty of Filino gals living apart (bekyo) from their Japanese husbands (sponsors) and I know for a fact it is quite commonplace for them to leave their kids alone for extended periods of time either for work or play, although this particular case is quite extreme. It is a sad ending to this scenario and an all too predictable one.
-5
LH10
so stupid omg -- some parents in japan have no freaken common sense my god ==
0
Nathaw
Yubaru Feb. 22, 2013 - 10:09AM JST
If that girl is 18 years old in many nations, she will charged with some form of manslaughter crime. 14 is only 4 yrs short for becoming 18. In Japan, some 12 yrs old are mature enough to be paticipate in household duties such as cleaning and caring pets.
Although she is not to be blamed entirely, I agree with Athletes and tmarie for she is not matured enough for her ages. She is not trained and raised properly. There is no stereotype conclusion for assuming all 14 yrs old in Japan will be identical like her. Some may be younger however they are more responsible and accountable than her.
2
darknuts
She will probably never come back now.
5
GW
Folks, the mother clearly is negligent, the daughter MAYBE.
Pls read the above, remember this info is from the keystones, they could simply be looking for a way to wrap this up quick & head back to their kobans! Certainly appear as usual they dont want to put much if any effort into their work, typical!
10
WilliB
megosaa:
How did you come up with that?? As a parent of 3, I can guarantee you that a healthy 3-year old who is hungry will make it very very clear that she needs food, and will certainly not have to be force-fed. Good grief.
Again, I am not saying that what the mother did was right, but under normal circumstances a 14-year old should easily be able to take care of a 3-year old for a while. There must be more to the story.
1
DudeDeuce
Nobody else took note that the sister is 14 which means she is at school age and was attending school every day. The 3 year old is too young to be in Kindergarten unless her birthday was supposed to between now until 3/31. If she was a nursery school student, she cannot be released to anyone under 18 years of age. This all means that the 3 year old child was home alone all day. Did you expect the 14 year old girl to just drop out of school until whenever to take care of her sister? High schoolers are free to drop out but Jr high schoolers will get checked on by the teacher if they choose not to show up.
If the girl looked sick, she could have had the flu. It has been going around and can be worse if malnourished.
0
Yubaru
http://www.ncbuy.com/reference/country/humanrights.html?code=ja&sec=6d
The legal minimum working age in Japan is 15.
Moderator
Back on topic please.
9
ambrosia
This mother definitely made a bad decision and the blame is hers. At the same time, I have a hard time imagining why a 14-year old, assuming she is not mentally challenged, would not be able to feed and care for her sister. Even if the child were sick, a mentally competent 14-year old ought to be able to recognize that something is wrong and seek help. Yes, I know this is Japan and blah, blah, blah - but seriously? I cannot in my wildest dreams imagine being 14 and letting my younger sibling die without asking for help, asking anyone, even a stranger. She didn't even have to ask a stranger since a teacher came to the house, not once but twice.
As for knowing what the child will or won't eat and how to feed the child, are we to believe that in the 3 years this baby was on the earth, her older sister wasn't ever there while her mom was feeding her and didn't have any idea of what she would eat? I have a hard time believing that.
For those saying she had to do all the housework - No, she didn't! She needed to eat and bathe and make sure her sister was fed and bathed. She didn't need to cook. Myriads of businessmen who buy the majority of their food from 7/11 have proved that. Many of my neighbors, who dare keep their doors open in the summer, have proved that you don't need to clean your house. Eating and bathing were the essentials and even the bathing could have been kept to a minimum or a shared activity, as it often is with kids in Japan. I find myself hoping that the younger one had something wrong with her, something that couldn't have been cured, so that the 14-year old doesn't have to live with the guilt of thinking she could have done something differently.
Ultimately though the responsibility, legally and morally rests with the mother. If she really needed to go out of the country, she should have arranged with friends or neighbors to look in on the kids and help out. She should have prepared food, put it in the fridge or freezer with clear instructions on how and when to prepare it. Maybe she did, we don't know. There is just too much about this story that we don't know.
One issue that this does bring up is the lack of community relationships. Someone brought up how Japan isn't the Congo or Zimbabwe and you're right, it's not. And, I don't mean that as a compliment. I've traveled throughout Africa and one thing that was strikingly different about those countries and here is that in the poorest of places, people knew who their neighbors were, knew what was going on with them and helped them out and shared with them when they could.
The second issue, which only has peripheral importance here since the girl was only 3, is the lack of compulsory education for non-Japanese children. Children of non-Japanese can and do more easily slip through the cracks because legally they do not have to go to school, thereby decreasing the number of people who know and care about their existence. Obviously that wasn't an issue for the older girl who's teacher checked in on her.
Credit must go to that teacher, who may not have known about the 3-year old or known that she was home, but nonetheless cared enough about the older girl to check in on her twice.
1
Yubaru
I have to add, legal to work without the consent of a parent or guardian.
0
ratpack
Geez....kind of a big difference to working in McDonalds or supermarkets compared to being asked to look after a 3 year old while mummy has gone overseas I tend to think. Some adults in this country don't have the commonsense to look after a 3 year old and your saying a 14 year old does!!
2
AKBfan
Why do people on here think this is soemhow the government's fault or that the government should "do something"? If they were left with food and money, seems to me the 14 year old must be pretty dense not to see that her sister was not eating anything.... Or did i miss something?
2
ka_chan
Something doesn't sound right. I don't see how a three year old suddenly dies of starvation. The 14 yr old, basically a high school student, said that she had collapsed. So the three year old was walking around. I don't think she would have been walking or moving much if she was dying of starvation. I also don't think the older sister is such an idiot as to accidentally let her younger sister starve to death over 14 days. Some else must have happened. I also think a 14 year old should be able to take care things but over 2 weeks is a long time. So the amount of time may be more important than the fact that a 14 yr old is taking care of a 3 year old. As for babysitting, seems the consensus is between 9 and 13.
There is an interesting article some what related to this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12380329
-7
jforce
This is the mother's fault. What an awful parent. I assume the 14-year-old is as selfish and ignorant as the mother. I'm at a loss for words. Poor little gal.
-8
Bellpeppers
A 14 yrs old is old enough to know how to take care of a 3 years old. Apparently she didn't do a lot of caring and waited until the sister was near dead to call emergency.
-2
ReformedBasher
The mother was a douche. The older daughter apparently neglected her sister, but for all we know, this could have been an ongoing situation. Not impossible considering the mother.
Really don't understand the attempts to drag Japan into this. My best friend is Japanese and his Filipina wife is very happy here and they both take great care of the kids. Please stop generalizing.
-3
Vast Right-Wing Conspirator
It seems the apple doesn'T fall too far from the tree. Enough blame to go around here, even without some key details. Three year olds don't need much special care or special food, just normal stuff like adults eat. I also find it hard to believe the older daughter couldn'T go next door and get help, talk to a teacher, something...
Plus, missing in all this so far....... the father! Where was he? Under what circumstances did he leave the scene-divorce, or did the woman just get knocked up (twice) without benefit of marriage? If the latter, that says more about her judgement and character and may explain her selfishness.
-4
tmarie
Yubaru, Article 56. http://www.jil.go.jp/english/laborinfo/library/documents/llj_law1-rev.pdf
5
Ltrain
I would trust a 14 year old to watch a 3 year old for an afternoon or evening but no way for longer than that. She left the COUNTRY!!
2
Flyfalcon
ratpack FEB. 22, 2013 - 11:26AM JST
My 11 years old neighbor can look after his elderly old grandma for basic needs such as having meal or not! having blanket while she is sleeping or not. His parents have peace of mind for his ability.
If something goes wrong, he will ring ambulance straight away without anyone supervision. Even his dog is paying attention to the welfare of his grandma. They are matured and responsible unlike spoiled and inattentive kids.
5
cleo
Yahoo! News Japan is reporting that the 14-year-old is saying that the 3-year-old was lying on the floor in the bathroom during the night of the 17th, but she 'thought she was asleep and left her there'. On the afternoon of the 18th her class teacher came round, and didn't see the 3-year-old. The 14-year-old had told the school on the 15th that the infant was 'staying with some other people'. She called the police 2 hours after the teacher went away.
Who leaves a toddler 'sleeping' on the floor of the bathroom for a whole day? Definitely more to this than meets the eye.
0
ReformedBasher
@Cleo
Any explanation as to why the teacher would visit? Because the daughter was not attending school?
-10
FPSRussia
Congratulations to Japan's Familiy Court system. The death of this child is on your hands. Automatically leaving children with the woman cause she has the title mother doesn't mean she's qualified to raise children.
I feel sorry for her older sister. I believe the mother who was cruel enough to leave them alone will also be cruel enough to blame the older sister.
1
Pontepilate
So the children have no father(s) or were they not ready to pay-up? I do doubt the mother will be coming back!
1
Nessie
Tmarie, according to your link
Moderator
Back on topic please.
0
cleo
Apparently she was off school from the 12th-14th, went back on the 15th, and according to Yahoo!, attended lessons on the 16th and 17th - strange, since the 17th was a Sunday. Then it says she attended bukatsu on the 18th, and the teacher called round at 5:30 on the 18th. That too is strange, since bukatsu would still be going on at that time. I think maybe Yahoo! is a day off. It would make more sense if the teacher called round after bukatsu at 5:30 on a Sunday. Dunno.
2
Himajin
NHK says there was food in her stomach, and that the older girl cooked food daily. They say it's possible that the 3-year-old had been ill, and hadn't been able to eat. It seems certain from their article that the older daughter was providing food.
One other source said that the 3 year old was found in her pajamas 'covered in oil'...up to mischief while alone?
1
ReformedBasher
Thanks Cleo. Had a chat with the mum-in-law. Apparently it's an unusual time of year for teachers to visit(?).
-1
bajhista65
It's really sad. Very sad reading this news. Lots of you have commented and speculated. But no matter how most despised the mother and situation, it's still hard to find out why and how the sad fate of this family of three occured. I guess the mother is a filipina and I presumed will not abandoned her children. I just wonder why the mother didn't ask the help from her in-laws.
-1
Disillusioned
I tend to agree with you, but there is no way it is the responsibility of a 14y/o to care for a toddler for extended periods of time. A few hours, yeah, but days, NO WAY!
0
Ichiro20
No one wants this to happen, omg... she should've just let someone took care of them than leave them alone...
Condolence :(
3
Mirai Hayashi
For those who are saying that the a 14 year old should be old enough to care for a 3 year old, again this is not always the case, especially if the small child is sick. When little children are sick, they are MUCH more difficult to care for, Sometimes, they refuse to sleep, eat, and constantly cry...its enough to drive even the most seasoned parent insane let alone a 14 year old.
Other news sites are saying that she may have been sick. This is flu season. She may have had the flu and needed medical attention. How is a 14 year with very little money going to take a 3 year old into the hospital, or even know to take them to the hospital for that matter. This is much more than just babysitting...the mother forced her to PARENT this little child for over several days /weeks. Babysitters usually watch over a child for a day or so, and don't have to cook, clean, bathe, and parent a child. This teenager did.
I think those who really think that a 14 year old is old enough look after a 3 year old for an extended period of time, you need to spend some time with a three year old before making that judgement. And I am not saying an afternoon or an overnighter. I am talking several days or weeks.
3
WilliB
cleo:
That sounds strange. Our 3-year olds would drop and fall asleep after playing just about anywhere in the house. But there is no way their brothers at 14 would have left them on the bathroom floor. Of course they would have picked them up and carried them to their futon.
0
buchailldana
does no one have any compassion any more.no matter what a 14 year old should not be left taking care of a child for a long time.why hammer her.are peoples lives so bitter they get a kick out of condemning a young teenager.she might be guilty she might be not but she shouldn't have been put in that situation.go bring you lynch mob mentality somewhere else..pack of savages
3
Faderkinta
I baby-sat non-stop when I was 13-18 and leaving a child alone with another child for more than a few days is dumb. A 14 year old may not be able to tell all the signs of sickness or know how serious a sickness might be. She obviously had the pressure of knowing what they were doing was not on the up and up. You are asking for a 14 year to balance the pressures of a full adult shame on a lot of you. I would not want to be your kids two weeks with a 3 year old a lot can happen. I had to be license as I got older and did stay over jobs as a kid there is no substitution for Adult supervision teenage supervision and at 14 here is not even close. This falls directly on the Mother's shoulder as it should.
1
Alphaape
I doubt very seriously that this lady had any plans on returning to Japan, and if she does it will be under a false name. The fact that some have found other stories that tell of her having her kids taken away by the government can point to that. I hate to stereotype the lady, but my guess was that she was/is a "buy me drink" lady from the PI who probably had a J-husband/lover that she had kids by and that didn't work out and the money left. I say that because I can understand wanting to go back to your home country and visit your family, but her main family she should have been concerned with were the two (now one) kids that are here in Japan. The fact that she would put going back to the PI over the well being of her kids, that she just got back from an orphanage tells volumes as to what type of lady she was.
0
sangetsu03
I grew up in a single-parent household, and from the age of 12 I often had to look after my younger brother and sister. Strange that I as a 12 year old had no problems taking care of my siblings, which included shopping for food, and cooking it. I also had the ability to call friends, relatives, or the police, if need be. I can't imagine a 14 year old girl not being able to care for her yonger sister, or being able to get help if she had rn out of money or food, unless she didn't want to, in which case she bears a great part of the responsibility. 14 is not so young, my grandmother was married when she was 14, and had her first of 12 children when she was 16.
4
hobart_mark
God, I hate reading or hearing about these tragic deaths of innocent children. How does a parent act so irresponsible?
-3
mikihouse
What do you think she can do? call the police? the police will do nothing. Go to the hospital? She does not have the money for that. Go to the old lady next door? They will not do a thing. Have you ever tried knocking on your neighbors asking for help because your brother is sick in japan? They will not even open their doors mate.
Stop judging.
0
Hermi Kaliwoda
Dare mo shiranai Did anyone know this movie??
6
Cos
The mother is wrong and will get the full legal responsibility. But her negligence in the "rusuban baby while I go shopping" category,that shouldn't exist, but we know it's common. The baby-sitter was a 14 yr old used to deal with that toddler. The chances of issues were low, in theory. There is more to it. One of the 2 child got a special problem. Either the small one had a stomach bug, and dehydrated within a few hours, or whatever and that might have happened in presence of adults too. Or the teen had emotional issues (anger to be abandoned and given the babysitting chore, or even jealousy about the toddler) and she deprived the small one of food to made her suffer. We often read that grown-ups abuse a little kid, a 14 yr is able of it.
3
cramp
it seems that in japan its ok to leave small kids alone by themselves going about their stuff
for gods sake, they're called kids for a reason
3
Zenpun
Whether 14 years old is suitable or not for baby sitting is modern perspective. During the Edo era, 13 yrs old could become housewife due to the extreme poverty. Some girls became adult or mother earlier than others. Although it is unacceptable for today, not all 14 yrs old share the luxury of care free kids.
In old days, 13 or 14 yrs old supported their siblings with matured manner in rural area. Even they were not entirely up to that duties, they have to learn from mentors such as relatives and friends.
Better off Society will not tolerate the 14 yrs old have to share the burden of siblings. However some African kids who are younger than 11, are struggling to care and support his or her siblings.
After all, We do not live in perfect world.
3
Apsara
As the eldest of three, I was looking after my youngest sibling (6 at the time) when I was 14, and even though I might not have been able to look after a small child ****well, I certainly could have kept a 3-year-old alive at that age. There has to be more to this story than we are seeing here- maybe medical conditions with one or both kids.
This is rubbish. As the mother of a picky toddler I can tell you that they can't be force-fed, but that they will not starve themselves if food is available.
1
Carcharodon
First: a crappy move by the mother that ultimately led to the unfortunate demise of a little girl. The mother could have some mental issues going on. She's clearly not firing her brain on all cylinders.
Second: Reminds of Hotaru no haka - Grave of the fireflies 2013 Redux. Just like 14 year old Seita couldn't keep his little sister alive, this 14 y.o also failed. Quite understandable during the War and over months but in this day and age in a few weeks? There must be more to this than meets the eye, to know all the details would be intriguing.
2
Elbuda Mexicano
We only know this poor little girl is dead, her mom is not in the country, WTF???
0
Elbuda Mexicano
How many phone calls or SKYPE etc..will it take for one of this woman's relatives, friends here in Japan to give her a "heads up" and this Filipina will say, the heck with Japan! Escape back to Bagio etc..and never see a jail here on the J islands.
3
patsjapan
"Nobody Knows," Japanese movie about 4 kids - all with different fathers - left alone by a Japanese mother...with enough cash for a week - but mom never comes home.
2 kids always sneaked into the apt. in a suitcase (only 2 children allowed in that apt - not 4)
when I leave or arrive at Narita, I sadly recall the scene where the older children stuff her body into the suitcase and leave it somewhere in the expanse of the airport.
I also - sadly - recall whenever I see Christmas Cake on Dec. 25. In the film the older kids wait outside a conveni for the price to be cut in half on Dec. 26.
Supposedly based on a true story, the older siblings are caring and competent. But the youngest climbs on a chair to reach something, and falls - possibly not a serious injury - but under these tragic circumstances, she dies.
1
patsjapan
Life imitates art****
1
mlg4035
Stupid, stupid, STUPID woman!!
2
Fadamor
Wait... We allow 14-year-olds to babysit children all the time, so that means we assume they have matured enough to responsibly take care of our children. The 14-year-old was left with "food and spending money", yet the 3-year-old died of apparent starvation after only 8 days. This tells me the 14-year-old hadn't been feeding the toddler pretty much since the day the mother left. Somehow I don't think this 14-year-old is feeling guilty at all.
3
WilliB
Fadamor:
We are all speculating at this point. But starving in 8 days sounds simply impossible to me, unless the older one deprived her completely of all food, and water. My speculation is that that is not the case here. A medical problem seems more likely to me.
1
mark monson
Perhaps,in this disfunctional "family" the 14 year old saw the 3 year old as competition for the most basic of needs..How is her present mental and physical health?
4
Gerard van Schip
Most of the comments above show me that most hav never cared for young kids. Having cared for 4 I can tell you a 3 year old can be super stressful. Its one of the reasons why many mothers get depressed.
Now imagine you being a 14 year old teenager, already a difficult age, then imagine you are very poor, not well yourself and your mother loads the responsibility for a 3 year old on you.
Seeing there was a history of neglect and lack of funds for decent care I would not be surprised that both girls were already in bad shape, not having their mother there for 2 weeks might have been the tipping point.
Truly sad. People in charge should have kept an eye on this family, after the kids had been taken away before due to the mother being unable to care for them.
-1
avigator
In the Philippines a 14 year old takes care of children. But here in Japan that would never happen.
3
thepersoniamnow
I feel that the main cause of contravesy and debate is the wordng of the article. To "Die of Starvation" in a wealthy country is ridiculous and seems cruel and extraordinary, even evil. It makes me feel like the mother and the 14 year old are to blame. But did she eally die of starvation? Did the 14 year old deliberately not feed her? If so surely the mother will be charged with neglect and maybe even involuntary manslaughter, but the 14 year old with a crime too. Its probably misworded. Perhaps if we had more details like general poor health, malnuriousment, disease and filth, it would be easier to make sense of.
2
ambrosia
Sadly, it's the other way around - art imitating life. The film Nobody Knows is based on a true incident from 1988 that the Japanese news dubbed The Affair of The Four Abandoned Children of Nishi-Sugamo.
-1
ambrosia
As many posters have stated, we do appreciate how stressful and difficult it would be for a 14-year old to care for a 3-year old but it most certainly can be done and if it cannot be done many, if not most, 14-year olds would go for help or at the very least, accept the help that was twice offered in the name of the older girl's teacher. To admit that does not negate the ultimate responsibility of the mother and does not mean that people who find this story to be a bit peculiar have never cared for a 3-year old before.
I don't really know what you mean here. If you are talking about post-partum depression, it doesn't usually hit when a child is already a toddler but much earlier. It is generally caused by a drop in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. It can also be caused by sleep deprivation but by 3, a child is usually sleeping through the night.
1
AkariYoshida
Such a sad story. I have been taking care of children since the age of 6. I have a strong attachment to children and this pains my heart. If there was anything I could have done for that child I would have, sadly I cannot anymore. Instead I will try my hardest to care and love the kids and children surrounding me today
1
AkariYoshida
and if the mother goes to jail the 14 year old girl will be left behind with the trauma of what happened
1
Akiyama562
this is heartbreaking id never abandon my daughter if i had one...
2
jocelynb0415
I think the mother of two children have a BRAIN DAMAGE!!! If she is a normal person, She know her RESPONSIBILITY as a being mother!!
1
Jessica101Black
Oh my god, this is sad! It makes me sick to hear such a thing. My Mother would never let me or my sister starve, and after reading this, I feel glad that she doesn't make us starve. And yet, I feel bad for this family. The mother needs SERIOUS help, and I hope to God, she gets it now, before its too late.
1
Philomena Marino
You would think the movie NOBODY KNOWS ,would have finally brought attention to this problem ,but no. Not quite the same situation ,but who doesn't get this is a bad idea yet ?
2
JoeBigs
I find it absolutly incredable that some folks are trying to place blame for the childs death on the government.
The mother left the country to visit and left her 14, yes 14 year old child to care for her baby!
The blame for the baby's death is not the governments, the blame for this lays clearly on the mother and her 14 year old.
But since most 14 year old cannot be held accountable then let's put the sick-o mother on trial and send her away for the rest of her natural life.
How stupid can you be to go overseas and leave your child in the hands of a child!?!
PLace the mother in chains and drag her off to jail.
9
mayumi1331
This news is heartbreaking especially for me, a Filipina. I would never justify her leaving her children and going back to our country for a couple of weeks. However, some people's stereotypes about us are so uncalled for. This could happen to any woman- Japanese, American or other nationalities. Those 'buy me a drink' days for us Filipinas are over. A lot of us are working as engineers, teachers and other what you may consider 'decent jobs'. Stick to the topic, and don't dig up her past, especially if you know nothing about it. Her fault was leaving her kids unattended, causing a daughter to die. Some 'well-educated, professional' mothers have done the same in the past.
5
mayumi1331
She should have gone back to the Phils with her children for good. It is much cheaper to raise them there in addition to the comfort of being around your families/relatives. People do stupid things when they're depressed or hard up on cash. I feel sorry for her and the kids. I just want to know why she had to go back to the Phils and spend on airfare when she obviously didn't have that much money. Filipinas go home for a reason- a death in the family or someone being seriously ill.... There has to be a reason
0
WilliB
Joe Bigs;
Reality check: a 3-year old is not a "baby"! It is quite a different task to take care of a baby and to take care of a 3-year old. Yes, the mother made a bad decision, but under normal circumstances, a 14-year old should easily be able to take care of a 3-year old for a while.
0
JoeBigs
Reality check, a three year old child cannot fend for itself and this 3 year child/baby is dead because of that.
You may want to look up the term, the youngest member of a family is usually called "baby". Don't believe me, well then look it up and learn something new.
A bad decision? Say what? You consider the reckless death of a child a bad decision? Come on wise up.
A bad decision doesn't come close to what she did. She took it upon herself to take a break and leave her baby in the hands of a 14 year old. What 14 year old would you leave your children with for a few weeks?
A bad decision, this was not a bad decision, what she did was criminal and she deserves to pay dearly for it!
baby noun \ˈbā-bē\
1 a (1): an extremely young child; especially: infant (2): an extremely young animal
b: the youngest of a group
2
JoeBigs
This has nothing to do with nationality and everything to do with an adult who abandoned her children.
She needs to pay for her crimes.
-1
WilliB
JoeBiggs:
Words have meanings. A 3-year old is NOT a baby; she is a toddler and quite mobile and communicative at 3. And she was NOT left fend for herself, she had her 14-year old sister to care for her. Keep in mind that in large parts of the world, girls are married at 14 or younger, and have children, and care for them. And again, I am NOT defending the mother, I am only saying that we should keep things in perspective.
Hysterically mis-describing the situation is not helpful..
-2
JoeBigs
Just do yourself a favor and read what I posted to you.
2
mayumi1331
@JoeBigs- Yup, I know. I was just emphasizing some people's stereotypes about us. No need to bring up her past because it doesn't matter. Race, religion don't matter in this situation.
0
Steve Christian
Interesting. Yeah, I tried to point out that there could have been any number of things wrong with the mother to make her act irrationally. My reward was a disappeared post.
I also tried to say that no one knows her condition right now. Not to justify a sane, healthy woman leaving her kids like that, but what if she has been kidnapped, murdered or met with a fatal accident? Stuff happens. But I am not sure if these points are "acceptable" to those in charge.
-2
602miko
u all judgmental, u dont know the real story?, according to news the mother left foods and money, i blame the 14 years old sister, where she put the money and foods?
0
602miko
avigatorFEB. 22, 2013 - 11:36PM JST In the Philippines a 14 year old takes care of children. But here in Japan that would never happen.
yeah no wonder why kids and adults here are irresponsible ...
0
Nathaw
mayumi1331
Whether Filipino parents are professional or unskilled bar attendants, it is not a problem. As far as they abide the law and tolerance with communities, they will be respected. Professional or educated people have no privilege if they committed crime in any lawful nation(not a corrupted nation).
Parents have duty of care to their kids. If they neglect their duty, it is not only against the law, they betrayed trust of society. When I watched Home Alone movie, the movie has happy ending. The parents characters have not been charged at the ending.
In the real life in US, educated and professional couple have been handcuffed by police for leaving their kids at home. Whilst they were enjoying holidays without burden, the kids were struggling at home. It is not civilized manner and should be punished without mercy.
1
chocoglide
tragic thing ,all of them are victims here. the mother shouldnt have left her daughter with her 14y.o. daughter if that child wasn't brought up in Philippines.14 yo kids are responsible,10yo are working for their parents in slum areas & from provinces.perhaps her daughter punished her mom by neglecting her sibling then the mother forced her eldest to be responsible for her sibling. i hope there's a way the mother-daughter could get through this pain together and we could learn from this..parents could ask help from the city hall to look after their kids,they have an office for this ,for emergencies where parents have to tend matters out of town.
2
Kent Mcgraw
Everyone is quick to condemn the mother. I do not support what she did but a 14 year old is not a child even if Japan thinks they are. At 14 many people raised children and had the sense to feed a child. There is something wrong with the whole family. Mother leaving children to go home, what is with that? 14 year old does not know to feed the baby? There is something really wrong with this type of upbringing. Mothers do not leave children, 14 year olds know to feed a baby and care for them. Everything is wrong here.
2
Elbuda Mexicano
Willb, grow up and think, yes WE know a 3 year old is NOT a baby, but a 3 year old is NOT ready to be left alone! No decent parent leaves there 3 year old in a country and flies off to another country! This is just WRONG!! Nothing against the good, hard working Filipinos, this is a horrible, sad case of 1 stupid woman, who in this case happened to be a Filipina. But there are stupid, stupid fathers, mothers in every country on the face of the earth.
0
Triumvere
Such a beautifully sad, sad film. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw this article.
-2
chocoglide
the onesan is nothing but a wagamama and hidoi person. that 3yo sister could feed on onigiri or cookies . the onesan fed herself and starved her younger sister.maybe she've locked her young sister and goes out to be with friends and spent money all to herself.maybe the mother has to go to Philippines to attend her parents funeral, lots of funerals after Christmas and New Year, lots of cholestrol & sugar goin on as they like to feast on food during holidays:(.... possible maybe...but 14 yo and 3yo together can survive ,from 2yo a baby can demontrate hunger, my toddler at 14 months gets his bottle and gives it to me when he wants milk.it's very obvious that onesan was bad to her sibling and took advantage of her fragile age,made fun of her sister maye.sad:(
2
WilliB
chocoglide:
No, that is not "obvious" at all. At this point, everybody here is speculating and imagining different scenarios in their mind. That is all very interesting, but there is nothing "obvious" about it.
The scenario I imagine is very different from your. Neither of them is "obvious". We won´t know what exactly happened until we get more details.
3
blendover
The 14 year old is not to blame. It is precisely because not all 14 year olds are neccessarily socially developed enough to handle a situation like that, that parents are not allowed to entrust toddlers to their care for long periods. She will blame herself, however, and others will help her with that. She can read the forums like anyone else. If she doesn't start getting good psychological guidance right away, she will have a messed up life.
-2
JoeBigs
WTF?
The mother went to her home country and abandoned her children, if you think that it's a-okay to leave 14 year olds in charge of the future you should really really get some help.
14 year old children are just that, children and should never be left alone for long.
Wow.
0
Yolanda L. Ballares
The women who left her daughter to death cause of starvation has no soul !!.......GIRL !! God is Watching you!!
-1
602miko
@ JoeBigs, if someones shares her foods and money no one's die on starvation get it? go and read again my comments, where does she put the money and foods? according to news the mother left money and foods, I know mother''s fault should to blame in everythings happened, but this 14 y/o girl @ her age she can do to contact anyones and asking for help but she never did? she left her sister ahhh whatever ... this getting more worse!
0
WilliB
JoeBigs:
Did you read the article at all? She went home for A VISIT. And she left food and money. Nobody here has said that was "a-OK". But this was not a case of "abandoning" anybody, or about leaving a 14-year old "in charge of the future". That is all in your mind.
Is it so hard to keep some perspective?
-1
ChibaChick
People need to stop comparing this scenariowith what happened in their own countries growing up, or what happened hundreds of years ago - society was completely different then. Yes, young children were cared for by sinbling who were no more than children themselves, but back then generations of family lived under the same roof or close by. There was always someone to turn to.
And as anyone who actually has kids will know, there is a world of difference between babysitting for a few hours and taking day to day 24/7 responsibility for another life, completely alone. Like many, I babysat at 14 but I could never have been a parent. Everything would be fine if life ticked along with no problems and the most you have to deal with is a scraped knee, but if a child in my care had really got sick, I wouldnt have had a cllue what to do beyond going to hospital. And how do you do that at 14, in the countryside and unable to drive? What if your neighbours are completely uncooperative?
The child was probably left on the bathroom floor because the OTHER child couldnt physically lift her up off of it. My 3 year old is a lump these days and I struggle to lift him from the floor. When she didnt get up the14 year old probably thought great! Still asleep, I can take a break and didnt have the experience or common sense to check on her. Who knows.
I dont care if this woman went home for a death in the family or any other reason. She is 100% to blame for this. And now she has another death in the family to deal with. And as for whether she abandonned them or not - well I would consider 2 weeks away from young children (14 IS young to be left alone for two weeks, never mind with responsibilities) to be abandonment. Two weeks is a hell of a long time for a "visit" when you have resonsibilities back here.
1
FightingViking
Nobody mentioned "post-partum depression" but you better believe a 3 year old can drive his/her parents to distraction, and a mother alone (apparently ?) with two children, even though one of the two is 14, could easily have a nervous breakdown with a "difficult" three-year-old. This is NOT trying to excuse the mother, it's just based on personal experience.
0
WilliB
Chibachick:
I find that hard to believe. Any normal 14-year old should be able to lift up a 3-year old, regardless of gender. To me, it sounds more like a mis-judgement.
Anyway, I find it fascinating how so many readers imaging completely different scenarios here.
0
Nessie
Yes, back when Japanese lived in larger family units and the neighbors knew much more about what was going on.
-2
misstiatokyo
In all of these comments, no one, has asked the very obvious question - WHERE IS THE FATHER? Where are the other relatives? Surely someone would have known this lady had left the country and looked in on the girls while she was away. Why is the Father not taking some responsibility for this situation or being held accountable?
0
all4faj
We don't allow 14 year olds to babysit small children for weeks at a time, Cooking for them , cleaning & bathing them there is a vast difference between that and a few hours while we go to dinner . As for irresponsible parenting, there is something very wrong here, Phillipino women living abroad are responsible for a very large % of money being sent to the Phillipines, They sacrifice themselves in different ways in nearly every country in the world. A lot of the money they earn is sent to their families in the Phillipines. Besides the obvious that it is very wrong to leave TWO children alone while she goes overseas , something is very wrong. As for 14 year olds working , they are usually supervised and work for short periods of time.
0
stuarto
Unbelievable. Humans are the only species that seems to neglect its young, en masse.
1
midnull
While I blame the mother in all this...when I was 14 I took care of my 3 younger siblings on a constant basis when my parent was away working. A 14 year old is more then capable of babysitting 1 small child. Unless that 14 year old paid more attention to her needs and completely neglected her little sister. Just like her mom did to them. Like mother like child, I suppose.
1
Mirai Hayashi
Does anyone even know if the mother is even back yet.
@WillB
I think you are making too many assumptions here. The article only states what the 14 yo probably told the police, "mother went home to the Philippines to visit", but there is no telling what the mother's REAL intentions were until she gets back (IF she comes back)...this could very well be a case of abandonment. Not giving the children money before she left would have probably raised too much suspicion among the kids, so it doesn't necessarily mean that she had/has the intention of returning.
@Nathaw
I don't think mayumi1331 was defending this woman nor implying the fact unskilled labor is the problem. I believe she was just stating that the comment made earlier about the "buy me a drink" girls is an over generalization and an unfair comment..and I tend to agree. You cannot discredit a whole race of people for the actions of a few.
0
Nathaw
Mirai Hayashi
When you read her post again. She want to portray the child abandoning parent as unskilled and uneducated class. Well educated and professional mothers will not do thing like that. according her opinion. No offense. In the reality, many rich and powerful Fillipino criminals are still free in their homeland. Although it is not about the race issue. It is a law issue. Rich, educated and professional have no privileged above the law. It is also true that there are many migrant labor across the world from third world and costing so many social problems. It is causing bad reputation for host nation. Although it is not race issue, many are not abiding the law of their host nation.
Not all other nation will tolerate the injustice for victims such as abandoned and neglected Kids. When you are in Rome, you are in Roman for adapting the local law. No excuse for our race have been treated unfairly because of our stereo type image. Respect come from civilized manner and humanity. Not from social status, powerful connection and skills.
0
WilliB
Mirai Hayashi:
That is pure speculation on your part. She raised two kids for 14 years, why suddenly abandon them? Sounds very far-fetched to me. When speculating, we should keep Occams Razor handy.
0
acemercadophil777
You are a very irresponsible mother. Jail yourself forever.
-2
Dennis711
WOW! I can't even describe what I'm thinking.... The mother is an idiot, and will suffer for the rest of her life.
There is the question of the sister.... WTF most 14 year olds can care for little ones. Look around in the world... in Japan and the rest of the world. It has been going on for ages, doesn't make it right but it is happening and will continue to happen. The mother is clearly the responsible person, but the older daughter shares the responsibility for her younger sister's death... in my book at least.
-1
Dennis711
oops (><)
-1
JoeBigs
Yes I did. A 3 year child is dead because of the actions of an irresponsible mother who abandoned her children to go on a trip.
She left her baby in the care of her 14 year old child. She left, she went away from, abandoned, deserted etc etc etc etc her baby to her death and you are standing up for the mother.
Did I miss anything?
But the use of the word "BUT" you are minimizing what she did and that says a whole lot. Sad.
Some perspective? A 3 year old child is dead because the mother left her in the hands of a 1 year old child.
Would you have done it?
-1
JoeBigs
So you think it's okay for a parent to leave her their child/children with 14 year olds? You are minimizing what happened and placing blame on someone that cannot be blamed because of their age.
602mikoFeb. 24, 2013 - 10:45PM JST go and read again my comments, where does she put the money and foods?
She left her baby with a 14 year old then went out of the country on a visit. Translation she is at fault for her babies death.
Do you think that by leaving money with anyone it makes everything okay? Wow!
602mikoFeb. 24, 2013 - 10:45PM JST according to news the mother left money and foods, I know mother''s fault should to blame in everythings happened, but this 14 y/o girl @ her age she can do to contact anyones and asking for help but she never did? she left her sister ahhh whatever ... this getting more worse!
The 14 year old was not legally responsible for that baby, the mother was.
The key word here is RESPONSIBILITY not MONEY.
-1
JoeBigs
And the baby is now dead because she left the country.
BTW who is legally responsible for both children, the 14 year old?
I'll await your answer, but I will not hold my breath.
Moderator
Please stop bickering.
2
FightingViking
No updates yet JT ? Did the mother come back yet ?
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