Police in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 24-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of fatally abusing his one-month-old son at their home last year.
Police said Yudai Kono is accused of abusing his son, Soa, on Sept 9, 2023, in their apartment in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, where the family was living at the time, Kyodo News reported.
According to police, at around 7:15 p.m. on Sept 9, Kono’s wife called 119 after returning home from work, and said that Soa’s breathing was abnormal and his face had turned purple.
Soa was taken to hospital where doctors said he had brain damage. He died 10 days later. An autopsy showed death was due to post-cardiac arrest brain injury. Police were notified about a case of possible child abuse.
Police said Kono has denied abusing his son.
According to the Kawaguchi City child welfare center, Kono’s household was registered as one requiring monitoring, as there had been reported fighting between Kono and his wife.
Kono and his wife also have a daughter who is older than Soa. However, the child consultation center had been notified that she was suspected of being psychologically abused at home, and at the time of the incident she was living separately from the three.
© Japan Today