An octogenarian father who had cared for his bedridden son for 34 years stood trial on charges of killing his son. The father, who had been taking care of his now 50-year-old son, wanted to die together with him as he grew weak and ill with age. The son agreed. However, the wife intervened, stopping her husband, resulting in only the son dying while she survived.
On the 10th, Japan's NHK reported, "An 82-year-old father in Yasushi, Shiga Prefecture, who had cared for his eldest son bedridden for 34 years, was indicted on charges of killing his son," adding, "At the trial held on the 10th, the court sentenced him to three years in prison with a four-year suspended sentence."
The son had joined the high school soccer team at age 16 but had been bedridden ever since an accident during practice. Although he could freely move his left hand, he was unable to speak and could only make a sound like "eung." The father stated at the trial, "I cared for my eldest son with the sole determination to restore him to his original physical condition by any means. I believed in a miracle."
To facilitate caregiving, the father even built a new house removing obstacles. When transferring his son from bed to wheelchair, he massaged him for 10 minutes. To prevent bedsores, he used reclining positions to tilt his son's body or rubbed his back, changing his position every three hours. Bath assistance lasted over an hour. According to the lawyer, thanks to this care, the son had no bedsores or other wounds, and doctors and care facility staff were astonished, saying, "We've never seen such a clean body."
Believing in a miracle, the caregiving continued. However, the father, now in his 80s, grew physically weak and ill. Last year, he developed Meniere's disease causing dizziness and occasional seizures. He began to feel anxious about whether he could continue caregiving. At the trial, the father revealed, "I felt I could no longer care for my eldest son. If I couldn't provide care, I thought he would die painfully," expressing his feelings at the time.
In the past, he had asked for caregivers and even sent his eldest son to a facility 10 years ago. However, caregivers frequently changed, requiring him to teach caregiving methods each time, and accidents occurred during transfers to the facility, making entrusting a third party a greater mental burden. He did not want to ask his other children for help with the difficult caregiving because he had promised them at their weddings that "I will take responsibility for care." Feeling great anxiety about the future, the father told his son, "I will die too; let's die together," and the son accepted without resistance. When the son was about to die and the father intended to die as well, the wife rushed in and stopped him.
The prosecution argued, "Despite having an environment where family and others could provide help, the defendant did not seek assistance and committed the crime out of a desire to ease the victim's suffering, which was reckless and selfish," and requested a four-year prison sentence. On the other hand, the defense claimed, "The defendant always believed his son would recover someday, massaged him, and devoted himself to caregiving while constantly talking to him. He could not ask other children for help out of a sense of responsibility as a father," appealing for leniency.
The court ruled, "Regardless of the reason, murder must be condemned," but also acknowledged, "The dedication to caregiving over a long period was recognized by those around him, and considering that the crime was committed impulsively amid desperate hope for recovery, and that he is deeply remorseful," sentencing him to three years in prison with a four-year suspended sentence.
NHK stated, "Cases like this, where families continue caregiving in isolation without seeking help and eventually commit crimes, are occurring in other regions as well."
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