Jun 07 (NHK) - Tokyo police have arrested a couple for allegedly starving their 5-year-old daughter to death.
Yua Funato died in March. Police arrested her 33-year-old father Yuudai Funato on suspicion of punching her and causing grave injuries the previous month. He has been indicted for injurious assault.
Police later found that Yua's 25-year-old mother Yuri Funato had not been giving her enough food since late January, and failed to take the malnourished girl to a hospital.
Police arrested the mother and issued a new arrest warrant for the father on suspicion of abandonment resulting in death.
Police say Yua lost 4 kilograms in about 2 months since she began living with her father in late January in Tokyo. She reportedly weighed about 12 kilograms -- some 7 kilos less than average -- at the time of her death.
The parents have reportedly admitted to the charges. The father says he disciplined the child, while the mother says she did nothing because she feared her position would be at risk.
Source: ANNnewsCH
