Nearly a week after he was abandoned in the forest by his parents, 7-year-old Yamato Tanooka was found safe on Friday. The soldier who discovered him by chance in a military hut gave him two rice balls, which he ate ravenously. He looked a bit worn out but was "genki", the military said, using a Japanese word used to describe healthy children.
The boy's safe return was welcomed in a nation riveted by his disappearance and consumed by intense soul-searching about how it raises and disciplines its children.
Yamato's story, as pieced together from comments from the military and police, was admirable in resourcefulness and resilience.
His parents, trying to teach him a lesson for misbehaving and throwing rocks, made him get out of the car last Saturday on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido in a forest reputedly ridden with bears. They couldn't find him when they returned several minutes later.
Apparently, he walked for several kilometres, found an empty hut in a military drill area and entered a door that had been left open. The longhouse-style hut had no heat or power and no food, but Yamato huddled between mattresses on the floor and drank water from the solitary faucet outside the hut for several days, local media reported.
A massive manhunt, including 180 people and search dogs, had found no trace of him. The soldier who found him had not been part of the frenzied search effort, but soon the boy identified himself as Yamato Tanooka.
Appearing outside the hospital where the boy was flown in by helicopter, his father apologized, bowing deeply, and thanked everyone for the rescue and vowed to do a better job as his dad.
"We have raised him with love all along," said the father, Takayuki Tanooka, fighting tears. "I really didn't think it would come to that. We went too far."
Military officials expressed admiration for the boy's perseverance, as the building where he was found was far from where he had disappeared and involved a rigorous uphill climb.
The boy was dehydrated and had minor scratches on his arms and feet, but no serious health risks were found, a doctor who examined him said on nationally televised news.
Asked what he told his son after he was found, the father said, "I told him I was so sorry for causing him such pain."
The nation welcomed the boy's safe return. Old photos of Yamato were flashed across TV again and again.
Daijiro Hashimoto, a former governor appearing on a talk show on TV Asahi, wondered how the boy had endured the loneliness, especially at night, and suggested that perhaps he had imagined he was on some adventure and was hiding in a secret camp.
"He had to keep a very positive attitude," Hashimoto said, reflecting widespread sentiment. "He is fantastic. He didn't know how long it might take, and when he would ever be saved."
The boy's disappearance and the debate set off by the parents' decision resonated in an aging nation with a dearth of children, where child-raising is expensive and often requires financial sacrifice. Japanese culture also is not seen to promote individual rights of children, but rather to view children almost as family property. Abandonment and child abuse are far more common in Japan than the stereotype of the doting parent and stay-at-home mom would suggest.
Yamato's parents are not officially under any police investigation for their actions.
Mitsuko Tateishi, an educator who has written a book urging mothers to take it easy, says many parents are isolated in Japan. They get competitive in wanting their children to perform and need advice, especially from more experienced parents.
"The punishment this parent chose is unthinkable. They have no idea how to raise a child. They did not try to explain what was right and wrong," she said in a telephone interview. "A child is not a dog or a cat. You have to treat the child like a human individual."
Tateishi said Japan remains behind the West in protecting children, and she doubts any concrete action would be taken against these parents.
Still, a child welfare expert said abandonment of a child should be treated seriously. Tamae Arai, who heads a Tokyo ward's family support operations, said though she does not know the specifics of this case, an investigation would be likely in a similar case to ensure a child is protected.
"Beating and kicking are not the only forms of child abuse. There is also neglect. Of course, we are all thrilled he was found, but it is important to note that there could be a serious problem here," she said.
