crime

Baby girl taken from car while mother shops in Nagoya

84 Comments

A one-month-old girl was taken from a car while her mother was shopping at a drug store in Nagoya on Thursday afternoon, and then found in a parking lot a short time later, police said Friday.

The 38-year-old woman had left her baby daughter in the car as she did her shopping. When she returned to her car about 3:55 p.m., she noticed her daughter missing and called police. The child was found uninjured just after 4pm in a municipal housing parking lot about 100 meters away.

According to police investigations, a man on a bicycle was seen taking the child from the car. The suspect is between 20 to 30 years of age, and was wearing black clothing with something red draped over his shoulder.

A similar incident occurred in nearby Kasugai City on Dec 25, and police are investigating a possible connection.

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84 Comments
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"...she noticed her daughter missing..." I think realised is a better word. You notice the unimportant.

The article doesn't mention how long the mother left her daughter for - protecting the mother from embarrassment?

Let this be a lesson to anyone who leaves their kid unattended. I wonder if that's why the perpetrator's doing it.
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Did brainiac mom neglect to lock the door? Whether the guy has the ability to open locked doors is a pretty significant thing to report.

This will be quite a fun story to tell the daughter when she grows up! It will fit right in with the "You're lucky to be alive, young lady!" type speeches.

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never leave your daughter in the car you idiot. or lock the doors at uld be charged with child least lock the doors.

mother should be charged with child abuse and neglect.

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Leave you baby in your car while you go shopping. You should be shot!

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This mother is incredibly lucky this didn't turn into a tragedy.

She's also a blooming idiot for leaving her child in the car unattended. This is the same asinine mentality that results in children being broiled to death in cars during the summer while mom and/or dad attend to other more important matters -- like pachinko.

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Whoever did this gave this woman a well needed heads up, even a service. Luckily, the child was not harmed!

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My God. I have a 1 month old. My blood ran cold when I read that headline. But yes, a few questions - like, how did he get into the car so easily? Smash a window? Or just open the door? How long was she gone? And most importantly of all, why did she leave her baby alone in the first place? In a cold car in the middle of Winter?

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a 1 month old baby!!! this mom needs some jail time. and she needs some lessons on how not to treat your new born.

just the other day i saw the same thing in a shopping mall parking lot. baby couldnt have been more than 2, left sleeping in the car. these so called "parents" need to be taught a lesson

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Ah, and yet another case of leaving children unattended. At least she wasn't going to play pachinko.

And my guess is that 'guy wearing black in his 20s to 30s' is just a guise to mask the embarrassment. The kid is 8, and smart enough to open the door and try to go looking for mom (and get lost), or just to get out of the car and go for a walk.

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Is this in the crime section because of the man in black, or the mother? I'm confused.

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Smith,

I don't think the guy in black was a fabrication of the mother. The way I read the article, it would seem the man was witnessed taking the child from the car by bystanders, not the mother herself. Had the mother seen the man taking the child, this story would likely be different -- assuming the mother possessing any sort of instincts to protect a child she would leave in a car alone.

Besides, the child in question is a 1-month-old, not 8. Not sure where you got 8, but unless the kid was on steroids, I don't think she would be up to the task of getting out of a car under her own power. ;-)

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MeanRingo,

The answer to your question is in the very last sentence of the article.

"A similar incident occurred in nearby Kasugai City on Dec 25, and police are investigating a possible connection."

It's in the crime section because someone has apparently taken it upon themselves to take other people's children from cars on at least two occasions, and has yet to be caught. That, to me, constitues a crime.

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Leaving a baby in the car and running off to buy drugs...terrible!

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a 38 year old woman left her 1 month old baby alone in the car and went shopping? Doesn't she have more mature brains? She's 38 not 18!

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It's been said... don't leave your baby in the car... it's just dumb. In Australia you would be charged (they have guys inspecting the parking lots.)

My guess is (like many Japanese people)... she left the keys in the ignition with the engine running so that the aircon would make her baby warm enough (it's freezing in Nagoya!!!!) I see that all the time (with or without babies)... often I'm tempted to take the car for the joyride or something... what would the charge be? I haven't broken into the car and I haven't stolen it (if I give it back.) Probably a pretty minimal charge (if anything.)

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"A similar incident occurred in nearby Kasugai City on Dec 25"

Apparently it's a common occurence for people to leave their babies in their cars whilst going shopping.

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This is so crazy. I'll admit it, my first thought was, "Who the H would want to take a 1-mo. old baby??!" But, yeah -- it's bad to leave the baby in the car. Just not a good idea, even if the car's running. Bad, bad. What ever happened to daycare or the babysitter?

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I've seen cars with kids in them plenty of times, when mom pops into the store for some much needed respite. Not saying I condone it, but I understand.

No idea what this woman's situation is, other kids, happy, helpful husband and father, or single mom and this kid was a mistake that she regrets. Glad the kid is OK. I wonder if the dude on the bike was doing this to send a message, or just another nutter criminal that saw an opportunity and figured he'd bring some thrilling adventure into his otherwise boring life.

Does anybody know the exactly laws of leaving our kid in a car? I've seen it so many times, and nobody seems to give it a second thought, I doubt it's illegal.

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dumb mum

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My God. I have a 1 month old. My blood ran cold when I read that headline

SO DO I!!! I hope karma will teach her a lesson, again.

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In the US o'A if you left your baby like that, social services would drill ya a new one! However unthinking this mother is, at least the baby is ok. Could have been far more tragic.

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Is anybody going to question why the guy stole the baby. Seems to be the bigger crime here. Or are we all going to be indignant about the silly Mum? Must have been terrible for her.

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Is anybody going to question why the guy stole the baby. Seems to be the bigger crime here. Or are we all going to be indignant about the silly Mum? Must have been terrible for her.

Mea Culpa. You are right, why the dude took the baby is a far more important question. And the mum is silly.

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If she was going to just get one item, a 'run in' and 'run out' job, then I assume the car was warm, and the baby was asleep. Admitedly, she might have locked the car, BUT I don't blame her for doing this.

No point in waking up a sleeping child for something like this.;

Outrageously enough, I blame the guy who stole the baby.

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thank goodness the baby was found and let's the hope the mother and other mothers in Japan learn from this.

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"Must have been terrible for her."

And well it should have been. When the person who took her child, only to leave her in a nearby parking lot is apprehended, you can be sure our indignation will be refocused. But until then, stupidity like this needs to be addressed without reservation. It goes back to one of the most basic premises of crime prevention: Don't be a victim.

I don't think this woman has been through nearly enough, quite frankly.

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What ever happened to daycare or the babysitter?

Well, basically these things don't exist in Japan, so unless you get your mum to take care of the kid or you enroll the kid in one of those expensive "kindergartens" (do they take 1-month-olds?), you're out of luck, as far as I know.

A better question, I think, is "Whatever happened to not touching cars and children that don't belong to you?"

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Don't know what the situation is these days, however, some years ago a number of Japanese nationals (invariably women) were arrested in various countries overseas for leaving their children unattended in motor vehicles. These cases often occurred in summer in places like California (and I can remember at least two cases in Australia). Anyway, the attitude towards leaving children alone in vehicles in this country is very lax. As such, in addition to trying to find out who shifted the baby (babies that small do not walk by themselves), the cops should consider a charge of reckless endangerment for the mother as well. Then again, I won't hold my breath.....

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Here should be an IQ test before being allowed to breed... Hope they get this guy too!! Sicko.

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The babies in a better place now

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What is wrong with the women in Japan and leaving babies in the car? They need a national "Do not leave your baby in the car awareness day."

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Idiot mother!

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The child was found uninjured just after 4pm in a municipal housing parking lot about 100 meters away.

The bottom line is the guy was just trying to show the mum the dangers of leaving babies in cars....bet the mother learnt it the hard way

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How could she leave her precious baby in the car with the doors unlocked?

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Chotto got it right.

Waking up your child to drag it around while you buy something from the drugstore with the other arm, would be more of a crime than not doing so.

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Why not leave the baby at home instead of in the car if its just a shopping trip?

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Too many stories of babies being left in cars at shopping malls and pachinko parlors and the babies expire due to extreme heat. If she did it in the winter, she is capable of doing it in the summer when temps are excessive.

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You shouldn't leave your child in a car, you should charge the mother!

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Perhaps the headline should read "Baby girl taken from car while idiotic moron of a mother shops in Nagoya". Whether it be a minute or 10 why do parents leave their children in the cars while they zip off to do things (usually pachinko)?????

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Stupid woman. How can she leave baby in a car? Charge her and lock her up for few month.

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Something red draped over his shoulder...SUPERMAN!?!?!

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Never leave baby in car... can't say I sympathise with this mother

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What a careless mother - hope the poor girl is recovered by the Japanese police soon and reunite her with her mamma - I feel so sad and hope the poor heart is OK there are lot of SICKOS in this world - Elahi Protect this poor baby from all harm and keep her safe and sound.....

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I wonder how cold it was in the car? And in the parking lot where the baby was found?

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From the story on yahoo japan the mother left her 6 year-old daughter in the car with the baby. The car was unlocked with its engine running....

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20100115-00000007-mai-soci

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Betterdays got it wrong. To suggest that someone was trying to teach a lesson to the mother, I don't believe. If you wanted to teach a lesson, you could call the police and report an abandoned child.

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Would you leave 500,000 yen sitting on the seat of your car while you went in to grab toothpaste or whatever? No way! So why would anyone leave their precious little baby who is worth more than all the money in the world to them in the car even for a moment?!

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She needs to be charged.

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"Why not leave the baby at home instead of in the car if its just a shopping trip?"

Ummm... Is this a serious question? No parent in their right mind leaves a child -- much less a one-month old child -- at home, alone for a shopping trip.

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Howw long was she away from the car? Sounds like she stopped real fast to run into and grab something.

I don't know about you but I remember as a kid my parents leaving me inside the car real fast as they ran into to grab something.

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dolphingirl : exactly. Even if it's one second, it's one second too long.

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It's possible that he did it to save the baby from neglect.

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The article does not say how long she was in the drug store. Maybe she just rushed to buy some stuff and was not expecting to get delayed. Sounds as if the door was unlocked though unless the guy did not break the window.

Until more info is present, I would not rush to accuse the mother. It is difficult to keep watch over childeren 100% of the time.

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Did the police charge her for leaving her baby in the car?

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Leaving a baby in the car is dangerous. Even if it's not abduction, the baby can die of carbon monoxide inhalation if the air conditioner was left running.

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Sheesh! Again with the leaving the baby in the car? That is so stupid. You never leave a child alone in a car. Not for 30 seconds!

It is difficult to keep watch over childeren 100% of the time.

Toddlers are terrors, it's true. But an infant just goes in the mommacoat and that's that. Sounds like mom was being lazy. I do blame her.

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Something red draped over his shoulder...

Nope another Akachan! Hahaha

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Glad the baby is ok. I understand about the parent running in to grab something. If that was the case, ok. It happens. If however she was on a shopping trip of some extended duration, say more then 10 minutes, then shes being neglectful and ought to be charged herself.

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This is a difficult one to comment on as I can easily see both sides of the story.

First, I feel nervous about leaving my backpack unattended in a car, even though I feel it's relatively safe in Japan. I can't imagine leaving a baby, even for a few moments!

However, that said, I can see that the mother probably felt that leaving the baby in the car would be much better than unbuckling all the harnesses, getting the whole bassinet out of the car while icy winds wake up the peacefully sleeping baby. Then, struggling with the crying baby, head over to the drugstore and navigating with one arm cradling her baby she then shops with another arm buying her few items, possibly dropping things left and right. How much easier it would be to just dash in and quickly get what you need in a few moments!!

AS for the man who allegedly kidnapped the baby, it doesn't take that much imagination to figure out what his motives were. It could be anything from downright nasty evil intentions to simple greed. I'm sure that there must be a market out there for selling newborn babies! I can't really imagine too many people in Japan wanting babies that aren't theirs, but I'm sure if you were to take the baby out of the country there are many many couples who would love to have a newborn baby.

As for people shouting for prison sentences...I just shake my head. Doesn't even make sense. Yes, the was careless, but as many pointed out, it's not something that people here find outlandish. Almost all the Japanese people I have met would claim that Japan is the safest country in the world. Whether this is true or not doesn't matter. The point is that people truly believe it's safe and so leaving a child in an unattended car doesn't seem dangerous.

Granted I think that people need to be aware of more than just the dangers of theft, but rather other numerous scenarios may pop up. The car was left running...it's possible that the gear could be engaged ... allowing the car to start moving on it's own. Okay, that's stretching the bounds of imagination, but how about C02 poisoning, or maybe the car just stalls and it gets too cold for the baby...or .. well, you get the gist. As many posters have pointed out, it's just neglectful to leave a baby or young child in the car alone.

This is 2010 already. We know better now. Maybe not so much 25 years ago.

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We do have to take into account that their society does not pose this as a very dangerous thing to do. In the vast majority of situations, this will pose no problem and nothing will happen. In fact, leaving a child unattended happens all the time!

However, it only takes one weirdo one second to mess it up.

Leaving a baby in the car is dangerous. Even if it's not abduction, the baby can die of carbon monoxide inhalation if the air conditioner was left running.

I would actually question the safety of that car... If you are parked outside, that should never be a danger. Also, even if it was a danger, how would the mother even know about it? She'd be out without a warning unless there was a C1O detector. Traffic would be fatal! Don't give useless dangers...

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There is NO EXCUSE for leaving a child in a car, even to run in and buy a pack of tissues. NOT ONE ACCEPTABLE EXCUSE, PERIOD!

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My kids attend a japanese kindergarten.A lot of the mums have a rather nonchalant attitude about leaving the smaller ones,home alone sleeping while they pick up the older kid and it is astounding.We're talking about infants and upwards alone in the home unattended where just about anything could happen.Leaving a one month old in a car is just dangerous.How did the person get into the car? Was it unlocked as well? If so double stupid. Yes,Japan is probably a lot safer than a lot of places in the world but there is no such place as a safe place...anywhere.I would never ever risk that 0.000000001 something chance in a million and leave any of my children alone and unattended.My mobile phone yeah! My kids are little treasures and the most wonderful blessings!

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have none of you ever had kids??, if the child is sleeping and it's only a minutes shopping, plenty of mothers would dash in....western parents would lock the door. Countryside japanese wouldn't .....but it's in Nagoya...don't blame a stress out mum unless you are one you can never appreciate the difficulty of carrying a baby in one arm, a basket in the other and opening your purse with your teeth....

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not saying that I would do it but let's gets down from the moral high horse, The facts;a man took a baby and left it exposed in cold winter air, who is the criminal please....??

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Not sure in Japan but for example leaving a child of that age in a car alone is going to get you arrested and your child taken into custody. There is absolutely no reason someone is that much in a hurry to leave a child alone in a car.

As for Japan been safer, it probably is, but I can't see it been that much safer that you would leave a kid alone in a car. "onemanUN" though your correct people do this in the "States" its not a legal thing any more in some states because death that have happen.

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As usual,SAD!

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messed up mother. no excuse. Maybe this guy is the Robin Hood of Babies left neglected in cars outside pachinko parlors and love hotels.

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What amazes me is the number of people who are trying to justify leaving an infant in the car for any amount of time - and the justifications being used are that it is inconvenient for the mother to take the child inside with her or that it's a socially acceptable practice here.

LOTS of things about raising and caring for children are inconvenient. Like getting kids to wear seatbelts - that's inconvenient too especially when they cry about it AND it's a socially acceptable practice here. It doesn't even take an accident to kill a kid standing up in a car without a seatbelt, all you have to do is brake suddenly. But then that's a tragedy here not a preventable accident resulting from stupidity and neglect to safeguard your children.

What this woman did was NEGLECT - plain and simple and NOT justifiable. Yes, I am a parent, raised three kids, never left them in a car, and the car never moved unless they had their seatbelts on.

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What this woman did was NEGLECT - plain and simple and NOT justifiable. Yes, I am a parent, raised three kids, never left them in a car, and the car never moved unless they had their seatbelts on.

I`m with perspective on this. I also have 3 and no way does the car move unless they are buckled up. I would never leave them alone in the car. However, I remember my mum doing this often with us when we were kids and she was also a very caring, careful mother. She would run into the post office and leave us sitting there - alongside a busy road and with no child locks or car seats in those days!

I agree that she is neglectful and shouldn`t have done it, but the fact is thousands of very caring parents do just this every day and 99.9% of the time everything is fine. I think this woman was very unlucky.

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perpesctive.

What this woman did was NEGLECT - plain and simple and NOT justifiable. Yes, I am a parent, raised three kids, never left them in a car, and the car never moved unless they had their seatbelts on.

I'm sure everyone here is humbled to have the most fautless 'parent of the century' posting in this thread. Thanks for stopping by.

Seriously, can you see over your pelvis?

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chotto at 11:06 AM JST - 19th January

I'm sure everyone here is humbled to have the most fautless 'parent of the century' posting in this thread. Thanks for stopping by.

The fact remains that this scum parent would not leave 10000 yen on the seat for a second with out taking it with her, but she left her defenseless one month old baby alone, so obviously they value money over life here.

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Mother should have the child taken away, at least until she's has several hundred hours of training on the basics of how to be a parent. I guess it culd have been worse. She could have propped the kid up against the steering wheel, left the car in gear, and perhaps stuck a lit cigarette in the side of its mouth.

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The fact remains that this scum parent would not leave 10000 yen on the seat for a second with out taking it with her, but she left her defenseless one month old baby alone, so obviously they value money over life here.

Scum parent? I highly doubt it? Exactly which time when you met her did you determine she was scum? FFS, why the hell is nobody blaming the tosser who took the baby in the first.

Mother should have the child taken away, at least until she's has several hundred hours of training on the basics of how to be a parent. I guess it culd have been worse. She could have propped the kid up against the steering wheel, left the car in gear, and perhaps stuck a lit cigarette in the side of its mouth.

Well, oddly enough, if she knew some sh!t would take her baby, I doubt she would have left it. Fact is, it was more practical to leave it there, asleep, (as I assume it was) rather than (as has been mentioned umpteen times above) wake it up, unbuckle it, place it in a carrier, walk across an icey car park, grab a pack of toothpaste with one hand etc.

Why the hell don't you actually try showing some compassion to this mother who must be already punishing herself enough, without all of you pre-jedgemental 'Parents of the Century' casting judgement.

Pathetic.

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Thanks for stopping by.

You're most certainly welcome. Glad that I could help.

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Well, oddly enough, if she knew some sh!t would take her baby, I doubt she would have left it. Fact is, it was more practical to leave it there, asleep, (as I assume it was) rather than (as has been mentioned umpteen times above) wake it up, unbuckle it, place it in a carrier, walk across an icey car park, grab a pack of toothpaste with one hand etc.

The best way to ensure your baby is not taken by a stranger is to not create that possibility by leaving the child in a unsecured car by itself. What you've described is a matter of convenience, not practicality - just how much trouble is it to take a child out of a car seat (assuming she had one, of course)and take the baby in with you to the store? Is that really a big deal? Apparently so for you and a few others. The ONLY time you leave a 1 year old child unattended is when the baby is asleep in his/her crib in the next room and within earshot.

BTW, before you accuse me of self-righteousness again, know that I work in healthcare and have had the unfortunate experience to see this type thing happen with the worst outcome more than once. Entirely preventable and the result of parents not ensuring that their child was safe and accounted for. Ever had to put a kid into a morgue drawer, chotto?

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The best way to ensure your baby is not taken by a stranger is to not create that possibility by leaving the child in a unsecured car by itself. What you've described is a matter of convenience, not practicality - just how much trouble is it to take a child out of a car seat (assuming she had one, of course)and take the baby in with you to the store? Is that really a big deal? Apparently so for you and a few others. The ONLY time you leave a 1 year old child unattended is when the baby is asleep in his/her crib in the next room and within earshot.

Let's take your rationale. You can stay awake for 24/7, and the second you take your eyes off your child, you will be labelled as SCUM. That sits well with you, so that's good.

Ever had to put a kid into a morgue drawer, chotto?

Desperate much?

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Chotto, I guess we'll just have to disagree. I'll stand by my words and you can continue to justify this woman's actions that made it possible for her kid to be kidnapped. Fortunately for the child it turned out well.

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Mothers, not just this Japanese one, should be more careful! Thank god nothing evil happened to this poor baby!

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It's crazy that there's ppl sticking up for her. How can you seriously justify her leaving that baby in a car by itself? If she didn't want to inconvenience herself by bringing her in the store with her, then she should have not had a baby. Honestly there's no good excuse for doing that.

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I kind of think the guy was teaching the mom a lesson. Like someone else said, I have been tempted a few times to take the kids and run to teach mom a lesson but as a foreigner I know it wouldn't turn out well for me.

Just last summer I told off a mother who left her sleeping two years old alone in an amusement park. I called the staff over, told them about the kids, they came over. Dumb mom was riding on a ride with her 6 year old son. I figure she must have been doing it all day and no one said anything. I flipped out and said she was a horrible mom and caused serious meiwaku was stressing me, my friends out and the staff. Didn't even say sorry or offer an apology. God help kids with mothers like that.

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Leaving your kid unattended in a car while you go shopping is the same as leaving him/her to go play pachinko. People who stand by her actions should not have children. Period.

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chotto

Let's take your rationale. You can stay awake for 24/7, and the second you take your eyes off your child, you will be labelled as SCUM. That sits well with you, so that's good.

Your arguement is nonsense!! How can you possibly justify leaving your child alone in a car, unlocked, while you SHOP????? It's not that difficult to just pick up your child and walk in to a store. Really. I just went through this in Misawa, in the cold, icy, freezing winter. IT'S NOT THAT HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sure if the child is sleeping it may be a little mendookusai, but you deal with it because your a parent, who doesn't want some d-bag to come by and take your child. Little things like that are exponentially outweighed by the big things (you may never see if said d-bag takes him/her and does unimaginable things to/with them) like watching them walk for the first time or speaking the first words, etc. So if you decide that it's ok to leave your child in the car while you shop, then they aren't that important to you to have in the first place. Wear a condom and we don't have to worry about "SCUM" parents.

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