Japanese boy found alive after parents left him in forest

A seven-year-old Japanese boy who was abandoned by his parents in a bear-infested forest has been found alive, six days after he went missing.

Officials say Yamato Tanooka was discovered in a military exercise area on Hokkaido island. He was in a small building used for training, around four miles from where he went missing.

Japanese authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"The parents originally told police their son had got lost while they were out hiking to gather wild vegetables but later said they were angry and tried to punish him because he had thrown stones at cars and people," The Guardian says.

Police and volunteers had searched the surrounding area before the local town of Nanae asked for military support on Wednesday. Rescue efforts were reportedly hampered by the dense woodlands, steep terrain and heavy rains.

Yamato has been taken to hospital, where the Kyodo news agency reports that he is in good health, with a doctor saying that the boy was "incredibly calm considering he had been missing for seven days – he didn't panic at all".

Yamato's father, Takayuki, has apologised to the search teams and all those who supported the family, saying he and his wife had "gone too far" by ordering his son out of the car.

"We've raised him in a loving family but from now on, we'll do even more to love him and keep a close watch on him as he grows up," he said.

Search continues for Japanes boy left in forest by parents

31 May

Rescue teams in Japan are continuing their search for a little boy who was left behind in a forest by his parents as punishment.

Yamato Tanooka went missing on Saturday in a mountainous part of Hokkaido island, which is home to bears and other wild animals. He had no food or water and was not wearing warm clothing, police say.

His parents initially told officers he had vanished while collecting wild vegetables, but later admitted they had left him behind to punish him for throwing stones at people.

"On the way back from the park, Yamato's parents ordered him out of the car and drove on for another 500 metres [546 yards]," The Guardian reports.

"But when the father walked back to collect him about five minutes later, he had disappeared."

More than 100 police officers and firefighters are scouring the forest with horses and sniffer dogs.

The incident has sparked a furious response on Japanese social media. Police are now considering whether to file charges of neglect against his parents.

"I feel very sorry for my son," Yamato's 44-year-old father, Takayuki, told reporters. "I am so sorry for causing trouble for so many people."