Police in Japan‘s Hyogo prefecture have arrested a man who allegedly kept his disabled adult son confined in a cage hardly bigger than a coffin for as much as 20 years.
Yoshitane Yamasaki, a 73-year-old man, turned himself in in January for the cruel imprisonment, according to a report by DailyMail. He was arrested on Monday and passed on to prosecutors as the Hyogo prefectural police continue their investigation.
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Yamasaki reportedly confessed to police that he had kept his son, who is now 42 years old, in a wooden cage roughly three feet high, saying that he had become violent and dangerous. Reports from various local news outlets claimed that Yamasaki’s son had been imprisoned for more than 20 years, though police declined to confirm that number.
Upon visiting the home, authorities say they found the man naked from the waist down, squatting over a toilet sheet meant for house training pets. The man had reportedly suffered permanent disfigurement from his years in captivity, as his back was bent from the extremely low ceiling. Additionally, he is reportedly almost blind due to infections caused by the gruesome conditions he was kept in. The cage was housed in a small hut beside the man’s home.
Yamasaki said that the state his son was seen in was not normal, and claimed that he fed and bathed him every other day.
Police offered the outlet few details on the case, stating that it was an ongoing investigation and they could not comment. They offered no official statement on the son’s health status, although they confirmed that he had no life-threatening conditions. The 42-year-old is reportedly being cared for in a wellness center.
The police are keenly investigating the neighbors of the alleged victim, wondering how the case could have gone unreported for so many years, particularly if the son was violent and disorderly.
Yamasaki had reportedly gone to seek advice on obtaining nursing care for his wife when he revealed what he was doing to his son. When pressed the matter, he confessed, according to police.
