Man, 19, arrested for beating girlfriend's 2-yr-old son to death

I sometimes wonder why I read this kind of horror. It spoils my whole day.

“The three had begun living together since last July. The mother worked at night and told police she was unaware of what was going on in her absence.”

She comes home from work in the morning to a battered bloody baby and was unaware of what was going on? I haven’t the words to describe my feelings for these two, well I have but I’m tired of being deleted.

She comes home from work in the morning to a battered bloody baby and was unaware of what was going on? I haven’t the words to describe my feelings for these two, well I have but I’m tired of being deleted.

My sentiments EXACTLY..(true from-the-heart expressions always get deleted on this site) Why waste time, right?

They need to start a "License to live together" with special training for anyone below 25 or so.

told police she was unaware of what was going on in her absence

Way to avoid responsibility. Something tells me this woman wasn't the best mother in the world.

But I have to point out that this scumbag being a minor will get him off with just a mere slap on his wrist, a bow and a gomen letter from the cops to his parents(for all the BS they caused to his son blah blah)I know most of you would find it unreal but this is just a little part of what is the Unbelievably TRUE CORRUPTED JAPANESE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. shouganaine!

A system so corrupted, backwards and outrageous that will get you far more time in prison for stealing a pair of socks from the local depato than for killing your own child. That's how it works here. That's the way it is. That's Japan for ya! RIP little angel

The boyfriend will be doing some time but the young mother can start her life over. Thats one way to get rid of a little boy. Must have been a burden for the poor thing. Ignorance is bliss. lol.

she was NOT unaware if he was covered in bruises. Coward man, coward woman. BURN IN HELL

Classic example why failure shouldn't be rewarded. Shoot the parents and end this gene.

KyokoSmile at 09:29 AM JST - 29th March

“A system so corrupted, backwards and outrageous that will get you far more time in prison for stealing a pair of socks from the local depato than for killing your own child.”

There is a them and us in Japan and even when the “us” is both Japanese and foreign and we are all disgusted we still come up against those that are “them”. It isn’t the Japanese as a people, but the people that are in control and always have been. The same families generation after generation that bring shame on Japan. Possibly you are right and the system will allow these two to walk away from the evil they have shared in, I hope you are wrong, but fear you are right. Emotionally I am just flattened by this one and yes, as you said, “Why waste time, right?”

"The three had begun living together since last July. The mother worked at night and told police she was unaware of what was going on in her absence. "

This is a lie. She never noticed the conditions of her son body (bruises, etc...)???? She is responsible as much as the 19 years old guy.... This is just wrong....

The mother worked at night...

From an anthropological perspective, this isn't so uncommon. Male killing the offspring of his rival. It actually gives the stand in (the guilty 19 y/o) gene's a better chance, assuming he got her pregnant again. (Which he likely would have had it not been for the police) So this really is Darwin in action. The guy who left the girl with his kid, is actually the holder of the weak genes, which have been eliminated from the pool.

For those that will complain that human instincts like the above, (which have been operating for hundreds of thousands of years), have no place in modern society, this is what you get when kids slip through the cracks like these two likely have.

All they have go on is their survival instincts, and nothing else. In that respect they are very much like prehistorical humans.

Poor kid died in the hands of mommy's boyfriend.

Rule of the law protects women, children and less endowed men from brute power. Let hand of law fall heavy on abberants who cannot respect this.

Why did I read this... this news is a horrible way to start one's day. RIP--You didn't deserve to be born in such a rotten place.

Nice news to start the day...It seems that the guy is not the father of the child. How old is the mother, I wonder.

Absolutely disgusting. Let him rot in jail for the rest of his life. SCUM.

was quoted as saying that he grew to dislike the child in mid-March and started beating him whenever he got angry from March 17 on. The boy had been crying in the middle of the night on Saturday, so the man said he hit him in the chest three times and banged his head against the wall.

The majority of Japanese people need counseling or anger management to deal with their emotions and in how they handle things from people to any situation that causes them to behave like this man. I am beginning to think some Japanese people are violent and scary like all those manga and anime that likes to depict violence as if violence is the answer to a problem.

The mother worked at night and told police she was unaware of what was going on in her absence.

The mother should get some times for negligence by not paying attention to her son welfare. How can she not notice anything wrong? Doesn't she put his clothes on him or give him a bath? It doesn't take a genius to know right off the bat that something is wrong.

Everything happened in ten days. The kid was maybe scared enough to tell the mother and there wasnt any bruises.There is a way of not leting bruises or lie about the small ones. The mother works at night so sleep the hole morning. She knows? She does? Only she can say that. And she said, no idea. I really dont care about them, just the little boy moves me. AND I had tested my father`s belt several times without crying and without tell it to my mother. The man, 19 years old, he does know about bullies and harassment. But about love and childcares...So, when somebody does something like this (and we see that very often here) the problem is...

RIP, poor boy, i wish you were mine to care you with love.

If the 19 y.o. "man" is a minor, then shouldn't he be designated "a 19 y.o. boy"? It's especially applicable in this situation. Probably was a high school dropout. Wonder where the dead child's biological dad is, and how he feels about this news.

You beat me too it, "TokyoXtreme". I was going to say exactly the same thing about the murderer being a boy not a man. Who cares how he is classified, string him up and hang him I say!!!!

She probably doesn't know who the father is. Sad, since he is a 19 year old "minor", he will walk away with a slap on the wrist, if that.

bamboohat said,

From an anthropological perspective, this isn't so uncommon. Male killing the offspring of his rival. It actually gives the stand in (the guilty 19 y/o) gene's a better chance, assuming he got her pregnant again. (Which he likely would have had it not been for the police) So this really is Darwin in action. The guy who left the girl with his kid, is actually the holder of the weak genes, which have been eliminated from the pool.

Unless you got proof and evidence that is what occurred for the man, the woman, and the son then your reason is unfounded. The guy had a short temper and didn't like the boy. The guy is violent and his actions caused the death of a 2-year-old boy.

Papito said,

Everything happened in ten days. The kid was maybe scared enough to tell the mother and there wasnt any bruises...

There would have been evidence of bruises left behind. Bruises do not go away instantly.

Skipbeat, your thoughtless comment about 'the majority of Japanese people' is not at all relevant or helpful here. This is clearly a terrible story, but sadly one that you could read in any country. The couple in question have committed an unforgivable crime (the mother being complicit) and I think that the legal system should do all in its power to remove them from what is, on the whole, a decent society.

Where is the love?

Baibaikin said,

Skipbeat, your thoughtless comment about 'the majority of Japanese people' is not at all relevant or helpful here. This is clearly a terrible story, but sadly one that you could read in any country.

It is relevant and there is nothing wrong with educating or seeking help where anger is concern to prevent a tragedy. It is not only this case but in other cases such as the JT articles on baby/child deaths to destroying your home because your mother threw away your beloved Gundam toys and start a fire to burn down your own house. The act of violence is common due to the person being angry/upset and taking it out on the other person or child.

Gee I had reading this stuff. I need a holiday from news...

When I was a kid we had people come and give lectures about smoking, drugs and hitch-hiking. Do we need people to teach high school kids not to beat up babies and kids now?

That mother needs a reality check if her boyfriend was beating up her son for weeks. I don't understand how you wouldn't see those signs. Love blinds you I guess.

Is this actually a newsworthy event? The reason I ask is that it seems to happen all too often in this country.

Furthermore, the man/child in this article should not be allowed to hide behind the misconception that he is still a child. Try him as an adult and punish him accordingly.

enough excuses about the mother, there is not ONE responsible mother out there who would not notice bruises on hyer 2 year old's body. She will burn and rot in hell as she should.

TokyoXtreme said: If the 19 y.o. "man" is a minor, then shouldn't he be designated "a 19 y.o. boy"?

Most certainly not. Old men in a congress have the priviledge of defining the term "minor" for purposes of the law. They do not have the priviledge of defining the words "man" and "boy" and I most certainly do not want to hand them that priviledge. In my opinion a 19 year old is a man. Further to that I think treating a man as a minor is a grave mistake. This man should pay for his crime just like any other man. And that is why I do not want a congress to make general definitions because they already messed up on the definition of minor.

Name withheld because he is a minor. Then he isn't considered "a man" under law, right? Contradiction in the headline.

Regarding the story, bruises doesn't usually appear until a couple of days after the act. Still, either the woman was not noticing it or just rationalized it as due to the child falling or something. Regardless, there seems to be a genuine lack of concern.

Where's the love?

He probably wasn't working, demanded cig, beer and pachinko money from his woman, and was a total screw off.

Just saw a 3 year-old kid being physically and verbally abused by his dad in the parking lot of a supermarket, I was saying "hey stop" in English but none of the other passersby said anything or intervened....

Skipbeat, my issue wasn't with your comment about education or counseling for anger management. I was uncomfortable with your assertion that the 'majority' of Japanese people needed these things. That's all. There's plenty of anger and irresponsible parenting outside Japan. Social services in many countries have to find ways to deal with this type of horrendous child abuse incident all too frequently, and there all too often isn't a response that most people would view as satisfactory (which is also responsible for making social work a hugely stressful occupation). The Baby P case in Britain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Baby_P) is an example of an all too common and heinous crime that is now being used as a case study as social services agencies continue their efforts.

my question is why there never seems to be any kind of public outrage over these types of issues. how can a developed nation consider something like this so normal it's so sick, and i just can't understand how a mother could spend so little time with her son that she wouldn't be able to notice bruises all over her kid. sick sick sick.

Kyokosmile, I understand how you feel and I agree with you. However, please post facts, not fantasies. If a 19 year old steals socks, he will probably not go to jail. If he kills a person, he will go to jail. Trust me.

Yea we can see stories like those in any country but ONLY in Japan you see murderers like those who commit such horrendous crimes with innocent kids get only ten years in prison as sentence or are called minors at the age of 19...Thats why they keep doing it...its like a hobby in Japan now...

This is sick. Poor child.

'he grew to dislike the child in mid-March and started beating him whenever he got angry from March 17 on'--I find it hard to believe that this 19-year-old turned into a monster overnight. Seems likely that he had been violent before but then something set him off. Using a kid as a punching bag is unspeakably horrible. There are no English words that can express what an atrocity this is.

I was actually talking to my Japanese friend the other day about the increase of child abuse cases that are being reported in the news. We both agreed that one of the biggest problems is that some people aren't interested or don't want to get involved with other people's lives. And obviously another problem is that some people simply shouldn't have kids or be allowed anywhere near kids.

Rest in peace little one. You are in a better, safer place now.

It would be great if the authorities had a system where a red flag would go up everytime a non biological parent moves in with a single parent,especially in the case of a stepfather.Many western nursery rhymes serve as a warning of the fact that step relatives are unlikely to be kind and nurturing.The mother devoting and channeling her love into a child often makes a man jealous of that attention and then he sees the child as a threat. Im not sure that the new laws being enacted only make it possible for married couples to get the new child allowance,in which case we may see an increase in this sort of bahaviour as single mothers may be desperate enough to grab any man around. Its rare to see Japanese berating children in public and when it does happen it usually does cause a crowd to go silent,but not interfere. Possibly due to being unable to vent anger and frustration with children in public,anger is amplified when alone with a child in private and these terrible cases occur?

I'm not really well versed in the J-legal system - surely this filthy animal will be tried as an adult - even though he is considered a "minor"? If not, there is a strong likelihood of an early release. I hope and pray he gets put away forever and that his life is effectively over. I hope the big "adult" prisoners make every day of his existence in prison a nightmare. The mother should also be charged as an accessory to murdering the child - she would have seen the signs of abuse. Put her away for 20.

R.I.P. little boy.

Baibaikin said,

Skipbeat, my issue wasn't with your comment about education or counseling for anger management. I was uncomfortable with your assertion that the 'majority' of Japanese people needed these things. That's all.

I say the majority of the Japanese people do need these things because they have been raised to not disturb harmony in their group/society (cultural). By holding negative feelings inside and suddenly it erupted when person couldn't hold it anymore and the person takes it out on someone. The majority of Japanese people probably say they don't need counseling and anger management because they do not see a problem. Oops what was this article about then?

was quoted as saying that he grew to dislike the child in mid-March and started beating him whenever he got angry from March 17 on.

Walker1: You have a good point. One shocking stat I read is that in about 80% of abuse-related deaths in Japan, the authorities did have some foreknowledge that the child was at risk. Their is a lack of investigation and a poor network among police, medical facilities and child welfare centers.

I've heard that sometimes doctors or childcare workers are aware that abuse is happening but just send the child home with the parent anyway. There seems to be too many flaws and holes in the system.

The government needs to get serious on making policy and spending more money on childcare & preventative measures for abuse. Otherwise the cycle of abuse will continue into the future.

The mother was unaware of what was happening to her child while she was away? The unexplained bruises weren't a big enough clue? She might not be criminally responsible, but she needs to take a closer look at herself and think about the kind of monster she brought into her child's life.

**#

tatsujapan at 01:24 PM JST - 29th March

Yea we can see stories like those in any country but ONLY in Japan you see murderers like those who commit such horrendous crimes with innocent kids get only ten years in prison as sentence or are called minors at the age of 19...Thats why they keep doing it...its like a hobby in Japan now...**

EXACTLY!!

sigh When will these kinds of thing stop...

R.I.P. Little angel.

Imagine. A two year old little boy wakes up at night, its dark and scary, Mummys not home, only Mummys boyfriend who obviously doesnt love him and won`t protect him from the scary monsters. No wonder he cried. And for that he gets, not a reassuring cuddle and some comforting words, but beaten to death.

My soon-to-be 4 year old woke up crying for me last night. He`d had a bad dream and my heart went out to him, poor little mite. Anyone who could see a little boy frightened and crying and not instinctively want to comfort him has to be sub-human in my book.

RIP you poor little mite.

anger management classes!?!?! anger management my a**! those are for people who might slap another adult when they are pissed. this is calculated and synister abuse of a child too helpless to defend itself.

anger management might work on someone who is cureable and has a heart. this person is a dreg of the human race and in my opinion completely incureable.

the world is better off without human feces like this 19 year old

19-year-old man

I really like this... One minute, they are boys and girls, if you are referring to someone under 20 years of age, because they are minors in Japan, and the Next minute they are MEN and WOMEN....

No...This kid, this boy, is just a fricken kid... another one of the 120 million boys and girls that reside here... Their biological age and appearance may change, but their mentality and level of maturity will remain largely unchanged from age 8 until age 70...

your assertion that the 'majority' of Japanese people needed these things.

Not only is it TRUE, Fxxx yea, it's true... Sorry, if you are one of the 120 million Japanese, much like the Kakapo Parrot, the Japanese Person, "The ancient, flightless Kakapo is the world's rarest and strangest parrot" and so are the average Japanese..."

Common-sense AND Teaching the difference between RIGHT and WRONG... Not just how to be polite and what university they should attend (to learn absolutely nothing at all..)

A 19 year old is a "minor"?! I hope Japan's justice system tries him as an adult. If anyone is deserving of being executed it is this parasite!

According to Japan accused is a minor! Does that represent that all minors' can go ahead and do their killings and get away lightly? If he is capable to kill than he should be punished as an adult. If he is 16 I would understand but 19 are you kidding me? Japan you have problem in your judiciary sector.

How come the article calls him a man knowing in Japan he is still a minor?

Wow, so it's a hobby to commit horrendous crimes in Japan now. We'd all better get out of here then.

I hope the guy has an accident. The "mother" should be tried too for atleast stupidity!! RIP little angel.

I have already expressed my total disgust of this killing. And I do blame both mother and boyfriend, what I will not do is point a finger of blame at all the people of Japan.

When non-Japanese people stop talking about Japan and cases like this then there is not much hope for Japan. Because the majority of Japanese people are not going to address it much less talk about it because it does not concern them as a whole. When something is shameful it is hidden instead of being openingly discuss. Incidents like this will keep occurring because it is not a problem as some would like to say. This incident is more then meets the eye between a guy who abused a toddler. It is about the lack of money and family support. The problem can't be solved if the majority of Japanese people are not aware of it, or they do not care about it enough. When Japan birth rate is down, I think cases like this should be national news and attention. Where is the outcry for the innocent children (victims). The parents of the toddler probably didn't get married so that is taboo in their society.

"wontond at 02:23 PM JST - 29th March The mother was unaware of what was happening to her child while she was away? The unexplained bruises weren't a big enough clue? She might not be criminally responsible, but she needs to take a closer look at herself and think about the kind of monster she brought into her child's life."

I think she is criminally responsible. Definitely criminally stupid.

JAPANHUSKER I AGREE WITH YOU. THERE is NO way her child could get beaten to death and not show outward signs. THEY BOTH NEED TO BE JAILED AND PUBLICLY HUMILIATED.

@JapanHusker and kyotovalentine

The article didn't specify the extent of the previous injuries of the previous beatings. You can't just assume that the child would always have bruises that badly. And believe it or not, abusers LIE about the bruises they leave. "Oh, he fell" or "He bumped his head". While yes, she is may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, she probably did look at them and asked, and he lied. So to criminally charge her, is not only asisnine, but degrading her as a mother because she worked and didn't watch it happen. You don't even know who she is, how can you judge her as a mother?

I agree with mike, my son has gotten bruised from falling. I see other children with them too. So did I when I was a kid. I love how you automatically assume that means we're child abusers, because that would include pretty much every parent who's ever had a kid who fell.

Well if the mother could or could not notice the bruises, she´s still guilty cause she left her son alone with another ¨minor¨ according to the law right?! that crime is called NEGLIGENCE...or hes classified as a minor in some cases and treated as an adult in other cases?? Of course japanese system HAS to be changed. Killing own children in Japan has become a ¨hobbie¨ because parents are not afraid of the system, those scumbags probably feel that nothing can stop them even in crimes like those because that system PROTECTS murderers. *kyokosmile from the various posts Ive read from you in this site I gotta thank you for beeing that wonderful person you seem to be! and I understand exactly how it feels when you want to express your anger against injustices reported in these articles but your adds are deleted!!

I would say the parents of the 19 year old are also at blame. Probably repetition for the last generation or simple neglect. Age shouldn't be a factor anyway, even a 4 year old can look after a 2 year old better.

i read another article that said that the 19-year old guy had no love for the boy because the boy didn't like him (not surprised!!), so he felt angry and started hitting him.. After several weeks of doing that, the boy started "smiling" at him (so that he wouldn't get hit) and the guy thought "oh, this is the way to do it!"... STUPID, plain STUPID!! And EVEN MORE STUPID that the "mother" was unaware?????? did she bathe the boy? Did she even change his clothes? There is no way a mother cannot notice that her small child was covered with bruises.. STUPID MOTHER, STUPID EXCUSE!!

mike- sure, i am sure abusers lie, but as a mother of 2, if i leave my kids with someone or daycare and they often return with bruises, i would not leave my kids wuth the person/daycare anymore. kids run around and fall, that's normal, but if that's so often, mothers SHOULD know something is up.

skip - this WAS a national news in Japan.

and the article says that the "mother" noticed bruises on the boy's body and thought the boyfriend might be beating the boy and talked to him about it, THIS CLEARLY STATES THAT SHE WAS AWARE OF THE ABUSE. And a couple days before the boy died, he had a big bruise on his face and his eyes were puffy like he had been crying for a long time.

THIS MOTHER IS AS GUILTY AS THE GUY.

RIP little boy, and do not make the mistake to choose a wrong mother when you come back to this world next time.

I'm guessing all minors can get away with the most serious crimes...or just 5 years in a 'juvenile prison' and a slap on the wrist.."bad boy,don't do it again"...

@fishy -

This doesn't say that he had new brusies every other day or so. Whose to say that the man was "angry" everyday and decided to beat him everyday. There's nothing saying that it was so often. Not to mention, as a mother of 2, you should also know that 2 year-olds are very accident prone. As long as he wasn't spotted with more brusies than would be normal for a 2 yr-old or if they weren't overwhelmingly large or abnormal, there wouln't be any cause for alarm. So hold off on still putting it on the mother until you know how often the child was beat, and the size and severity of the bruises.

@tatsu -

You can't just blame the mother for this, or you will have to blame all the mothers that leave their teenage minors at home with younger siblings and the younger children have bruises when/if they pass away. This woman obviously didn't think this would happen, or chances are she wouldn't be living with him and leaving her child there with him while she worked. Please use some common sense when you accuse someone of something. Too many people here wanna read WAY TO DEEP into the "LAWS" and accuse someone without using any common sense.

The mother here is probably in shock and will be in depression very soon, cut her a little slack people. Until everyone knows the ENTIRE STORY, leave her alone.

mikemcfly87 - you are right, by reading this article, it does not say the boy had bruises everyday, but as i said in my other post, by reading a different article (japanese), i knew the mother had talked to the boyfriend about him hitting the boy and etc, and i did not mention but the mother also talked to the boyfriend's sister that she was worried about leaving the boy with him, so i had more information than just this particular article, and that was why i blamed on the mother. i should have been more clear, and i am sorry, but i cant help but being so angry. and yes, as a mother of 2, i am well aware that little kids are very accident prone and bruises are parts of their normal lives, but the fact that the mother knew something was up and she knew the boyfriend was hitting the boy while she wasn't home, she should not have left the boy with him even if that meant she couldn't go to work - sure, work is important, but you cant compare child's life to anything else.

mikemcfly87: Well I assume you do not have kids or as your nickname mention you were probably born in 87? Am I right? Youre probably a ¨minor¨ and as I could see, you don´t understand about ¨common sense¨ yet or the difference between beeing a mother who cares about her child or a mother who neglects the abuses her son is suffering or a cold murderer. As a SINGLE MOTHER of a 3 year old boy I can tell you my friend that I WOULD NEVER let him alone with anyone or another minor or ¨minor¨ in this case. Ive been raising my son alone since he was born and I can guarantee a mother DO NOT have to leave her son with anyone or another kid to work or whatever she was doing at a saturday night. Even when I had to leave my son at a daycare to work I would check every single part of his body after picking him up, believe it or not I would even check his anus to make sure nobody touched him...my point is: a real mother NEVER neglects what happens in her child´s life especially abuses and If she does, she should call herself a murderer.

Sick! Sick! My heart goes out for this poor little boy! I feel so sad at this horrible news, it makes me just sick to my stomach.

mikemcfly87: Ill give you an example of a good mother who´d be innocent in cases like those in my point of view: I just saw on the news today that the police had arrested a pedophile who was caught raping an 11 year old boy. His mother was desperate at the police station waiting the officers bring him handcuffed to give him a serie of punches!! She punched him to the ground leaving his face all bloody and she affirmed she would have killed him with her own hands If the police didnt stop her. She is beeing charged of aggression now but that´s a REAL MOTHER. I´d kill anyone who ever tried to make any bad to my son too and I wouldn´t regreat. Hope you could learn a little from my adds for when you become a parent!

Anyone who is a "good" mother would a)notice bruises on their child that were unlike the usual rough and tumble ones (there IS a difference) and b)would be tuned in enough to their child to notice changes in behaviour, anxiety, fear, depression and such-like. YES, even a 2 year old.

Im not buying the whole "mother didnt know anything" either. She was just seeing what she wanted to see. She was in love with the 19 year old, pure and simple and not paying enough attention to her son.

@tatsujapan - thank you for that horrifying but good example. If I was that mother, I would have done exactly the same thing with one small extra - I would have finished the job and killed the $#$% with my bare hands.

What a sad and common story...that piece of Sh*t needs to get the toughest sentence and as for the mom not knowing PLEASE how the hell can she say that? Is this woman not involved in her own childs life??She works nights..ok..so does she not see him during the day?? I work a full time job and i know what is going on with my son and i will say this if anyone layed a hand on my child they would be damn sorry!!! Poor little angel..may his soul rest in peace :(

Mothers have a sixth sense an instinct that tells them that thier child is being abused. Dont worry she knew. She just chose to ignore it. Sometimes I think I want to do something bad so I can go to hell and wait for people like this there.

kirakira25: Thank you! Finally, a mother who understands what I am talking about! I bet you are a GREAT mother! Your kid(s) must be really lucky to have a wonderful mother who´s caring and has common sense like you!

as for the old pedophile story, they said on the news he´s gonna spend the rest of his life ¨serving¨ those big partners he´s gonna have in prison... as for this case it`s really sad many other similar cases are increasing so much this year in Japan and politics or authorities do not care...there should be a way to help... anyways God bless all of those little innocent angels who suffered so much questioning why?...may they rest in peace now...

@fishy - I apologize for jumping straight to the meat of the post, I got over anxious and didn't read the first part where you said you read that in a different article.

@tatsu - You are correct on the birth year, but as for the age, had you done it properly, that puts me at 23, and that is not a "minor". And I also DO have a daughter and and I would react the exact same as the mother example you gave, if I knew this was happening to my child. That person would quite possibly be a vegetable for the rest of their lives. But I would be quite happy that it wouldn't be happening to my daughter again. So before you fall off your cloud of judgement, learn all the details and still use common sense. And as for you trying to guarantee me that mothers don't do this, you might want to look around a little harder. Has anyone you have ever run into, never used a babysitter that may have been just under the legal age? Because I know of PLENTY of mothers that rely heavily on this system to keep their children taken care of. Stop making foolish guarantees and try to use some more of the afforementioned common sense.

@kirakira -

Anyone who is a "good" mother would a)notice bruises on their child that were unlike the usual rough and tumble ones (there IS a difference)

There aren't always differences in these bruises. While yes the normal "abuse bruises" that everyone immediately thinks of are very different, they aren't always. So again, until you know the details of the bruises; ie size, location, severity, don't jump on the mother should have known bandwagon. Learn details first.

Now if the statement about in the other article fishy was speakin about is true: she knew this was happening, then by all means she should be punished as well, I'm just fighting a different point of view than most people here seem to try to think about before jumping to conclusions.

mikemcfly87: 19...20...23...same thing for me...it SHOULD be considered as adult but some act like If they were ¨minors¨ WHEN it suits them...and as for the babysitter thing, in Japan almost all mothers with common sense use proper daycare!!! not any underaged babysitter which wasnt this case (the guy wasnt a babysitter!!) and youre the one who should look around a little harder or study a little more...people have their own opinion and IF you do not like it thats your problem. You shouldn`t treat it as If people against the murderer were atacking your wife!!

This guy deserves the death penalty. How about being beaten to death?

If at 19 you are killing an innocent 2 year old baby then you're useless to society ... and even there's a chance he might redeem himself I say screw that chance.

Kill him. He deserves to die.

@tatsu - I'm not saying he is a babysitter, it was an example just as you gave one. And as I said, I'm just fighting a different side. It's just a debate, if you feel that strongly about your opinions you should be able to express them at the same level as everyone else. We all get hot and bothered by some of the comments from some people, I'm just as guilty there as the next guy, but take your own advice and let me express my opinions on how I feel. I'm not attacking YOU, I'm debating our differences of opinions. So please calm down just a little.

And I agree 19, 20, 23 all should be considered adults. Heck, if you know what you're doing will hurt someone, ON PURPOSE, you should be tried for that crime as an adult. And again, with the babsitter comment, I apologize that it seemed too much like an attack on you, but I guess different parts of the country/world have different views. Not all Japanese mothers with common sense use proper daycare, I know many who don't. So don't classify everyone in the country with everyone you know.

mikemcfly87: I apolgyse If I sounded like If I was persuading you to argue our beliefs or opinions too even though I just felt attacked and was defending myself. At least we do agree on the age thing however I dont think we were confronting opinions because we´re from different cultures but because I´m a mother and you´re a father. We might start arguing again but as you can observe other mothers here sounded just like me in this thread so I think that MOST mothers spend more time with their children than the fathers (even If she works like I do) so no matter how I try to explain to you that a good mother KNOWS If there is something wrong with her chid, that she knows the origin of every single scratch on her childs skin, that a good mother DO NOT have to leave her kid(s) with any underaged guy she finds out there (especially in a saturday night!) I dont think you´d comprehend me. Also, I didnt classify everyone in the country with everyone I know and did not affirm that ALL mothers with common sense use proper daycare in Japan, I used the term ¨ALMOST ALL mothers with common sense¨ use proper daycare what means theres still the ones who has common sense although are incompetent to find someone reliable or a reliable daycare, the ones who has no common sense at all and pick the first one that knocks on her door and the ones who just dont care which I conveyed it applied for the woman in this article´s case. I asserted she was careless neglecting what was going on with her child, intentionally or not intentionally, it was stupid. If I had done such as stupid thing as she did even if NOT intentionally Id classify myself guilty after killing the 19yo guy. BUT thats my opinion so even If you do not agree with it you shouldnt imput Im wrong and that I must study the case, you should just write your opinion. Thatss called free speech, I guess you must have that from where you´re from too. *Im a single mother and have worked night shifts since my son was born. I have no friends and my mother and family live in my homecountry but still, I pay my bills and spend every single minute of my day shifts dialoguing with my son which is the main point to make him trust to tell me everything it passes on his mind. I have a 34 yo japanese bf whos one of the sweetest and trustworthy people in this World but he is NOT a babysitter neither the boys father so my son is 100% my responsability so when I have to work or do my duties I leave him in the daycare I choose from the 10 daycares I visited, questioned, examined and tested going to pick up my son earlier making a surprise coming to check everything was right in the place even though they have a license. Im not saying mothers should do the same but just stating Im an example that even screwed mothers DO not have to take extreme choices and IF she does it is negligence or ignorance, for me both are considered crime when there´s a child envolved.

I'd be much happier if this headline read "Man, 19, beaten to death for beating girlfriend's 2-yr-old son to death