Saturday, December 13, 2014

Murder case by caregiver

Today, I saw tragic news via the internet. It is a murder case by the mother.


The victim is her son who were unable to get up due to an illness for years. The mother was exhausted to take care of her son, according to the media.

Asahi Digital: 72 years old mother arrested for killing bedridden son (in Japanese) 

It is unsure the mother is prosecuted. I have some experiences involved in similar cases. Such killers are often severely depressed, feeling hopelessness, and sometimes have some obsessive thought that they should terminate the agony of the victim until they pass away leaving the victim. Nonetheless, they are likely prosecuted and sentenced to several years imprisonment, unless having psychiatric history in advance.

Murder cases by a caregiver is not limited in Japan. But there are some cases rather with a definite malice of the killer reported by foreign media. Killing a disabled with excessive sense of responsibility may be unique in Japan.

Call: Caregiver found guilty of murdering disabled man

10News.com: Jury deliberations begin in caregiver murder case

Philly.com: Murder charge for caregiver in elderly woman's neglect death

This matter originates from traditional sense of family in Japan. Historically, it was deemed for Japanese people to look after their family members as mandatory. It meant the strength of the family bond in Japan. On the other hand, the concept of social welfare has not be common in Japanese society. Recently, some popular artists were blamed for the reason that their relatives had been getting livelihood protection from the government. Thus, citizens thought they had to take care of their relatives regardless of the mutual relationship of them.

In Japan, aging is growing and unstoppable. I am afraid that murder cases by the caregiver will happen more frequently in the future. It seems a dystopia.

My past entry: The worst thing in our lives

It is urgent problem to fulfill the nursing staff for elder people. Decreasing population is promised in Japan. At last, Japan will have to accept immigrants, I think.

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