Son Lived With Mother's Body for 10 Years... Japan Shocked by His Motive

Claims He "Couldn't Report Mother's Death Due to Social Phobia"

A Japanese man who lived with his deceased mother's body at home for ten years has been arrested by police.

Recently, the Japanese police arrested Takehisa Miyawaki, 60, unemployed, residing in Nada Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, on suspicion of abandoning a corpse. He is accused of leaving and abandoning his deceased mother's body at his home for 10 years. Japanese MBS News

On July 23, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and local media reported that police had arrested Miyawaki Takehisa, 60, who resides in Nada Ward, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, on suspicion of abandoning a corpse. He is accused of leaving and abandoning his late mother's body at his home for ten years. During police questioning, Miyawaki admitted to the charges, stating, "I knew my mother had died ten years ago." He was unemployed and had no fixed address.

This case came to light on May 22, when a city official in Kobe noticed Miyawaki walking with a limp. The official admitted Miyawaki to a hospital due to a fracture and asked him about his personal information and family relationships. However, when Miyawaki remained silent and avoided answering, the official became suspicious and reported the matter to the police. In June, police visited the house registered under Miyawaki's mother's name and discovered a mysterious skeletal body in the bathroom of the apartment, which was filled with garbage. Forensic examination results released earlier this month confirmed that the remains belonged to Miyawaki's mother. Other than the fact that more than a year had passed since death, the exact cause of death could not be determined, and there was no evidence of foul play. Police are continuing to investigate Miyawaki to clarify the exact circumstances of the death.

Miyawaki stated, "Ten years ago, I found my mother collapsed in the bathroom. She had already passed away, did not respond to any stimulus, and her body was cold." He added, "Even though I knew my mother had died, I could not bring myself to report it to the police due to my social phobia." It is known that Miyawaki, who was unemployed, had been living off his late mother's pension payments.

Local internet users who learned of the case raised suspicions, saying, "Social phobia is just an excuse; wasn't he simply trying to steal his mother's pension?" and "The body must have smelled strongly?why didn't the neighbors realize his mother had died?" However, some users commented, "Seeing that he preferred communicating with the dead over talking to the living, he really might have social phobia."