Woman tries to kill son while husband, 3 kids sleep in same room

Finally one of these gets averted before loss of life! Get that woman some obviously needed help!!!

having 4 children and the eldest is only 4 years old? and according to this all 6 of them slept in the same room and probably same bed..this woman needs help and possibly has postpartum going on. Parents need breaks from their kids sometimes and taking care of that many children all 4 and younger is very exhausting. Thank god the father was there to stop everything and hopefully she will get some much needed help.

Maybe she was worried he would grow into a little snot and try to kill her like the stories we've read about recently?

Pretty bold. She is seriously sick. I would divorce her and never let her around any of the children without another adult being present.

Saitama again.

MocheakeMAR Pretty bold. She is seriously sick. I would divorce her and never let her around any of the children without another adult being present.

Um .... Duh? I would imagine she is not going to be let around any of the children for a while.....

Birth control Japan, birth control. Four kids, the oldest being four and all sleeping in one room? Social and welfare needs to be called in because sorry, one person supporting six folks (probably) and one stressed out mom who keeps popping them out is never a good thing.

Having four kids under 4 and all sleeping in the same room is not uncommon in Japan. I know people with kids in their mid-teens and they all still sleep in the same room on a sheet of futons. This is a part of Japanese culture I have always had concerns about. It is not natural for a teenage kid to sleep with his or her parents. Even toddlers should not be sleeping in the sam ebed as their parents. When I was married I got kicked out of the bedroom so my ex-wife and kids could all sleep together. Of course, my reaction was a big WTF, but it is just normal in Japan. Kids never cut their umbilical cords and never really grow up. As for this woman, as sad as it sounds, I am not surprised. The pressures of Japanese family life are enormous, especially with four littlies. No free time, no privacy, no escape. Something has to give! Japanese culture is its own worst enemy.

There may be twins or triplets involved, but even so that's a lot of kids to have to take care of, especially if--as I imagine because they're not mentioned in the article--there are no grandparents living in the house to help.

It's not particularly unusual to have such small kids sleeping in the parents' room here, even if the house is sufficiently large to have separate bedroom(s) for the children. It's also not that unusual around Kumagaya--or elsewhere in northern Saitama/southern Gunma--to see families with three or four kids, or even five. All of them that young is unusual, though.

There's no excuse for the mother's action, of course, but I can easily imagine stress, post-partum or otherwise, leading to it. I'm very glad the kid was saved, for a change. It sounds as if the mother needs help, but mental and physical.

Having four kids under 4 and all sleeping in the same room is not uncommon in Japan.

You missed the four and under comment. I highly doubt mom and dad are getting a decent night sleep with four kids that age.

Kids never cut their umbilical cords and never really grow up.

The kids? More like mommy. This is what happens when you gauge your worth and confidence by having kids and only thinking your worth is derived from them. No career, no farm to look after so focus on the kids and lord, IF the kids were to leave... what do they have left? Certainly not a social life, hobbies or real friends to spend time with.

Ok guys "thumbs down" me again..but I will continue to say this is an undiagnosed form of mental illness and or low values in family life brought about by parents before she became a parent herself. The other week I was watching a family of 8 on TV, the parents were 39 years of age.. The eldest child was 21 years of age who recently married and had a baby himself. Ordinarily this is not unusual when you build a home with love and affection. Also what is not unusual is family sleeping together. It is done here in this country till the kids reach elementary.

whats even more interesting is the father calling the cops on her...usually these would be swept under the rug somewhere

it takes a real ruckus to make him actually dial the digits and tell on her

Japan has become a disgusting, blood thirsty and non stop horrific thriller movie. Mother strangled her one of her own kids. Son chopped off mother for his anatomy research. Daughter burned her own mum to death. Mother buried her daughter alive. Father knifed his son. Son sent his father to heaven with a chain saw.

Sound like Japanese wanted to revisit the era "Roman soldiers crucification of the Son of God."

Tmarie - well said!

Having 4 kids with the oldest being 4-years-old has to be tough unless you're rich, have a big place and live-in nurse maids.

That should have read "...both mental and physical". Sorry.

Seriously?

Between the numbers of parents attempting to kill children, leaving them for dead (abandoning them in cars, apartments, etc.) or randomly abducting them like possessions not to be shared with the other parent, I think that Japan has a ignored epidemic of postpartum mental health issues.

Please Japan, wake up!

Something has to give! Japanese culture is its own worst enemy.

That sounds like something my old martial arts master once said. Though, he said, "You are your own worst enemy.". That mother was letting herself win. She nearly killed that child.

Must be something in the water in Saitama.

I just hope six months from now after the police complete an exhaustive investigation and let the mother go home that we don't read about her succeeding on her second attempt.

How do we not know that this may have very well been the second, or heaven forbid, 3rd or more attempt?

Shinohara has reportedly confessed to attempted murder, although police say her motive is still under investigation.

Really Her Motive is still under investigation...?

I wasn't even there and I can tell you the reason... Anyone with half an ounce of Common-Sense could tell you the reason..... WHY...?

Because She's CRAZY, There's your reason... No you can focus your Resources on cracking Real Crime cases...

She needs to see a Psychiatrist, She's Needs Professional help...

I don't know what's crazier, Her committing this act or the JCops Attempting to get a confession from Mentally Ill Person...!!!!

Society is sick!

Was she still asleep? (I have periods when I sleep walk, and have been known to move pots and pans around, talk to the long dead dog, etc., but i've never tried to strangle anyone.)

Someone mentioned the father calling the police, but it doesn't say that. I'd imagine his first call was to 119 to get medical attention for his son, and then the police became involved. Either way, glad that dad woke up!

Thunderbird2 lol!!! the end of the world is coming there is just way to much murder everywhere not only in japan.

It's cases like this that show that Japan needs a yearly mental health evaluation in conjunction with their yearly health check-ups. I think checking whether someone is close to breaking is more important that "fecal occult" tests.

Having 4 kids with the oldest being 4-years-old has to be tough unless you're rich, have a big place and live-in nurse maids.

I sometimes see these shows on TV here with low-income young families having like 7 or more kids. Some people seem like they are starting a kid collection as part of a fad rather than realizing how hard it could be.

Please keep her children safe and away from her till she is mentally stable. Hope the child welfare protection keep close check on her family...

This is a result of lack of communication with her husband and the struggle to look after four toddlers. People need to realise that its ok to say 'i can't cope'. At least the poor wee lad isn't dead.

Sure, poverty and hardship in life may drive a person crazy, but it doesn't always happen. Coz there are even those more deprive and in worst condition than this woman but it doesn't spell into doing harm to your supposed loved ones. .Yeah anybody here can jump simply to conclusion like shes crazy, or might be dreaming and doing that unnoticeably, or maybe some money issues.. etc.. but let the jcops do their job, unless you wanted to join the force yourself and do the report.

Motive=crazy, overwhelmed by having 4 kids before you're 30. People should be forced to get a license to reproduce. It would be great if Japan became the country to pioneer this idea, but it will never happen. Too much paranoia about the need to maintain the Japanese race.

hmmm scarry ... lucky the boy is safe

kimuzukashiiiiiMar. 25, 2013 - 05:30PM JST

MocheakeMAR Pretty bold. She is seriously sick. I would divorce her and never let her around any of the children without another adult being present.

Um .... Duh? I would imagine she is not going to be let around any of the children for a while.....

Um...Duh? This is Japan - just watch.