Father, 3 children die in apparent murder-suicide in Hiroshima

Jpn come on this is getting rediculous, YOU need to tell yr citizens that JPN can/will take care of its children when in situations like this! Damn it you need to do more the govt is practically an accomplice in these crimes

So sad & SO UNNECESSARY!

Police believe the man forced the three children to commit suicide with him.

Wrong! He murdered them! Get it right JT!

This happens all over the world, doesn't it? Yeah, but it happens every other day in Japan.

DAMN! Come on....forced to commit suicide my @$$!!! Murder, then suicide, i know times are rough, but you still had family!!! They even came to see you and the children.

Police believe the man forced the three children to commit suicide with him.

This article must have been written or translated by a Japanese, because only the Japanese seem to have the notion of kids "agreeing" to commit suicide with their deadbeat parents. IT IS COLD BLOODED MURDER. This evil, deadbeat dad will burn in hell, I hope to spit on his grave. Rest in Peace little ones. This is fast becoming Japan's shame: pretty soon, the rest of the world will start picking up on Japans' little secret of child killings.

Burn in hell you pathetic excuse for a man. RIP little ones.

yes, everyother day in japan some sicko hits the news.

The Hiroshima City child consultation office reports that the man had called them at the end of January and admitted he was having difficulty taking care of the three children. The office recommended he temporarily give the children up, but the man refused. From that time, a child welfare office contacted the family once per month, and when an officer visited the home at the end of May, the children appeared to be healthy and the man in high spirits.

Here is another black eye for Japanese family services. If the family services were in doubt the kids should have been removed. Do you think there will be an inquest into this decision? Sorry, rhetorical question.

Have to agree that it's a shocking translation. If someone forces someone else to stick a gun in his/her mouth and pull the trigger, is it forced suicide?! I think not but I wonder if it will become a new form of defense in court for such murders!

"Yes, your honor, he pulled the trigger....I didn't"

Anyway, in this case, there is no such thing as forcing a young kid of 3 or 4 years old to commit suicide. It's a very cruel murder, pure and simple. At least the title says "Murder-suicide".

This does seem to be a recurring tragic story that I read quite often in Japan Today. Although it happens all over the world, it does seem to happen a lot in Japan. Why would the "child consultation office" ask him to temporarily give up children when he went to them for help? Why not give him "help" with his children - be it financial help, counselling, etc.from family and social services. I feel sorry for the father - he sought out help and was told to temporarily give up his children. This is not an answer for the poor father - give him assistance.

can't you see that the father had failed in his role as parent (to care adequately for his children), and the children had failed in their roles as children (to be cared for adequately by their parent). thus it was appropriate for them to accept their obligation to lay down their lives in order to maintain social harmony, and so as not to inconvenience social services

/sarcasm

Where was the Mom? Separation after three children? How our choices affect others. Very sad indeed for everyone.

People need to stop killing children here or the future will look very grim for Japan!

@dr jones

WILL look grim? You're a very optimistic lad aren't you?

this is simply ridiculous ..

somebody please save Japan ..

GW at 09:09 AM JST - 17th June Jpn come on this is getting rediculous, YOU need to tell yr citizens that JPN can/will take care of its children when in situations like this!

Some call that "socialism".

Don't kill Japanese children. Don't you know how rare and precious they are?

My children are rare and precious. The thought of ANY harm coming to them is heartbreaking. No harm will ever come to my kids on my watch and I can speak for my wife in the positive too. It would be nice if those in charge actually gave a damn about those they are in charge of.

Another pathetic loser who decides to murder his children, rather then simply kill himself, and allowing them to live, and to eventually, hopefully, find happiness. Typical Japanese, very sad.

This just breaks my heart

Separation in Japan - Winner takes all. What a prize.

If anything, this says a lot about how easy it is for people to fall through the social welfare cracks in modern Japan. Anyone remember the chap who died earlier this month of starvation with a grand total of 9 yen in his pocket.

In this case you have a father who was being supported but who was obviously out of his depth. You also have social services that were only visiting once a month (hardly an aggressive execution of this case).

Finally, does anybody really care? The kids (and I assume the father) had died a number of days before they were discovered. Life goes on doesn't it. To put this in another (more calleous) way, nobody noticced anything until the bodies started decomposing (and stinking up the neighborhood.

RIP to all.

This maybe the seventh safest country in the world, but not for kids. I am now convinced.

There is no such thing as "forced suicide". Its murder, committed by the ultimate coward.

Police believe the man forced the three children to commit suicide with him.

That's called "murdered".

Wrongful act, perhaps, but this was clearly poverty related.

What's going on in this wonderful country with all these wonderful people?...

I do ask myself where MOM was at the time. Is this another single Dad with three children? Mother of children should be charged and placed behind the bars. RIP children with your father. Perhaps he was trying hard, but this is not recommended for any man. He di9d perhaps lost his marbles, and this was his only option at the end. Sure it is murder-suicide, but after all he shouldn't be the only one blamed. How can a mother leave the children to a man alone? How can he earn daily bread and also look after children? ‘DON’T FEAR NEW FRASHION IS HERE!’

I do ask myself where MOM was at the time. Is this another single Dad with three children? Mother of children should be charged and placed behind the bars.....How can a mother leave the children to a man alone?

The article says the couple were separated. So now having a failed marriage is grounds for criminal prosecution? As to how a mother can leave her children ... maybe she didn't leave. Maybe she was forced out. It seems from the father's subsequent actions (refusing to put the children in care even though he couldn't manage them himself, eventually killing the little mites...) that he was more than capable of unilateral, selfish action. Maybe she came home one day to find the locks changed. Or to find he'd moved and taken the kids with him. We have no idea. Demanding people be put in prison on the basis of nothing more than your own imaginings is going way too far.

And what, pray, is a frashion?

Nope, I don't understand why a parent would murder their child. I can understand the couple in Britain killing themselves when the kid died but I don't understand killing your kids because you are going to kill yourself. Sounds like nothing more than a selfish, brutal power play by a mentally ill person.

So why would a parent kill his own child. Somebody explain that to me. Insanity is the only thing I can think of.

What makes non-Japanese as well as Japanese more perplexing on such murder-suicide case is how the conduct is described in a Japanese context. They usually call it "muri-shinjyu"(coerced suicide) instead of "satsujin"(murder) in their language. The word "muri-shinjyu"(coerced suicide) attempts to separate the meaning of 'murder' in that a conductor has no ulterior motive for her/his own survival. I bet no other country but Japan embraces such concept. Most English-speaking countries will call it a “double-murder.”

Most English-speaking countries will call it a “double-murder.”

Atleast in Canada and the States it's usually refered to murder-sucide, double-murder usually refers to the killing of two people, just as a triple-homicide refers to the killing of three people.

Also, although the mods don't like comparisons, this happens all over the world; it's not unique to Japan.

You are correct of course. It is certainly not a problem unique to Japan. However for some reason, it seems much more prevalent here then elsewhere. In the states when it happens, people are shocked. They simply don't understand. Here, its such a common occurrence that people hardly think twice about it. And thats really the difference as far as I can tell.

...,double-murder usually refers to the killing of two people, just as a triple-homicide refers to the killing of three people.

Yeah, you're right. I was confused with a former WWE superstar Chris Benoit's murder-suicide case where he strangled his wife and son to death shortly before he took his own life two years ago. This case, however, there were three children. Anyway, murder-suicide is probably not equivalent to Japanese word of "muri-shinjyu," because its connotation leans toward the meaning of suicide.