Mother, Boyfriend Arrested for Leaving 1-Year-Old in Car for 40 Minutes

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:47 JST, July 2, 2023

KOBE — A woman and her boyfriend were arrested Sunday after leaving her 1-year-old son in a car for about 40 minutes outside a pachinko parlor in Tarumi Ward, Kobe, police said.

There were no problems with the boy’s physical condition, the police said. The woman and her boyfriend, both 21, were arrested on suspicion of negligence as guardians.

According to the Tarumi Police Station, the woman and her boyfriend, who described himself as a musician, admitted the allegations, saying that they thought the boy would be fine for a little while. The two allegedly left the boy in the car in the pachinko parlor’s parking lot for about 40 minutes from around 6 p.m. Saturday.

An employee of the pachinko parlor found the boy while patrolling the parking lot, the police said. The boy was in a child seat in the back of the car, which was locked with the engine running and the windows slightly open.

The couple lives in Ami, Ibraki Prefecture.