Overview

• Wakayama Prefectural Police arrested the 26-year-old parents on Sept. 26 on suspicion of abandonment by a guardian resulting in death, and both acknowledged the allegations.
• Investigators say the case involves repeated assaults at the family’s former home in Wakayama City from around autumn 2024 through early July 2025 and a failure to obtain medical care.
• A judicial autopsy found the cause of death was traumatic shock due to whole-body bruising, and the child weighed about 6 kilograms, roughly half the average for a 2-year-old.
• The mother called 119 on July 10 reporting the child was not breathing and said it was heatstroke; hospital staff found a broken jaw and notified police.
• Police are examining whether sufficient food was routinely withheld and whether abuse was habitual, as authorities address welfare concerns for the surviving 4-year-old son.