HOKKAIDO (TR) – Police in Kushiro City have arrested a 25-year-old tattoo artist and her live-in boyfriend for child abandonment after her preschool-aged daughter wandered into a convenience store alone, reports TV Asahi (June 8).
The incident came to light at around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday when the young girl entered the shop by herself and told a store clerk, “I’m hungry.”
Sensing something was wrong with a child of that age being out alone, the employee immediately dialed police.
Following an investigation, police arrested the mother and her 27-year-old boyfriend on suspicion of abandoning a person requiring protection.
The couple is accused of leaving the young girl completely unattended at their residence for approximately 12 hours while they hopped between multiple bars in the city’s entertainment district.
Upon their arrest, both suspects admitted to the allegations, telling investigators, “There is no doubt we left her behind.”
