A Japanese Mother 'Brainwashed' by an Acquaintance... Ultimately Starved Her 5-Year-Old Son to Death

Arrested on Charges of Negligent Homicide by Guardian
Economically and Mentally Controlled by Acquaintance
"I Was Afraid Because They Said a Gang Was Behind My Acquaintance"

Ms. Ikari Rie and her son Shojiro. / Photo by Nihon TV News Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] An incident occurred in Japan where a 5-year-old boy died of malnutrition after starving for several days. The case has shocked Japanese society, especially as it was revealed that the boy’s 30-year-old mother, accused of neglecting and abusing her son, had been mentally 'brainwashed' by an acquaintance.

According to local Japanese media such as Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun on the 5th (local time), Japanese police arrested Ikari Rie (39), the mother of the 5-year-old child, and her acquaintance Akahori Emiko (48) on the 2nd on charges of abandonment resulting in death by a person responsible for care, and sent them to the Fukuoka Prefectural Prosecutor’s Office the following day with a recommendation for indictment.

They are accused of abusing Ikari’s biological 5-year-old son by not providing proper meals, among other charges.

Ikari’s son, Shojiro (5), died at home in April last year. At that time, Shojiro’s weight was reported to be only about 10 kg, roughly half the average for his age, indicating severe malnutrition.

The case came to light when Ikari reported to the fire department that "my son is not breathing."

During the police investigation, the unusual relationship between Ikari and her acquaintance Akahori was revealed.

A case in Japan where a 5-year-old child died of malnutrition after drinking only water for ten days has caused shock. / Photo by Yonhap News

The two reportedly became close after sending their children to the same kindergarten in April 2016. However, after Ikari divorced in 2019 and became a single mother raising three children alone, their relationship deteriorated.

At that time, Akahori reportedly encouraged Ikari, who was hesitant about divorcing, by saying things like "I will take care of your meals," and "You can make money if you file for divorce due to your husband’s infidelity," actively pushing her to decide to divorce.

After the divorce, Akahori managed Ikari’s living expenses directly and received a total of 10 million yen (about 100 million won) under the pretext of investigating the divorced husband’s relationships with other women.

However, Akahori spent the money she took from Ikari on luxury goods and did not even provide money for food to Ikari.

She also instructed Ikari to reduce the family’s meal portions, saying, "To win the alimony lawsuit, you need to save money." In particular, she gave specific instructions on the children’s meal portions. As a result, it was revealed that Shojiro ate nothing but water for ten days before his death.

In addition, Akahori installed surveillance cameras in Ikari’s home and punished the family if they did not follow her orders, constituting further abuse.

In the police investigation, Ikari stated, "Akahori said she had the Yakuza (organized crime group) behind her, so I was afraid of her." She also said she considered Akahori a friend and was forced to follow her orders out of fear that she would withhold money for food.

The police believe Akahori economically and mentally dominated Ikari to extort money and plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the case.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.